CVE-2014-0658 in Unified IP Phone
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco 9900 Unified IP phones allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (unregistration) via a crafted SIP header, aka Bug ID CSCul24898.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-0658 affects Cisco 9900 Unified IP phones and represents a significant denial of service flaw that can be exploited remotely by malicious actors. This vulnerability resides within the Session Initiation Protocol implementation of the affected telephony devices, specifically in how they process incoming SIP headers. The flaw allows an attacker to craft specially formatted SIP headers that, when processed by the phone, trigger an unregistration event that effectively removes the device from the network, rendering it unavailable for communication. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of protocol processing flaws that can be leveraged to disrupt critical communication infrastructure.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the improper handling of SIP header fields during the registration process of the IP phone. When a maliciously crafted SIP header is received by the Cisco 9900 device, the phone's SIP parser fails to properly validate or sanitize the input before processing it. This parsing failure leads to an unexpected state transition within the phone's registration mechanism, causing it to unregister itself from the SIP server. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires no authentication or privileged access to exploit, making it highly accessible to remote attackers. According to CWE classification, this represents a weakness in the parsing or validation of input data within a protocol implementation, specifically categorized under CWE-20 Improper Input Validation. The flaw demonstrates a classic buffer overflow or parsing error scenario where malformed input causes unexpected behavior in the application's state management.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can severely affect business continuity and communication infrastructure reliability. Organizations relying on Cisco 9900 phones for critical business communications face the risk of unauthorized unregistration of their telephony devices, potentially leading to extended periods of communication downtime. The vulnerability can be exploited at scale, as multiple phones across an organization could be simultaneously targeted to cause widespread disruption. In enterprise environments where these phones serve as primary communication tools for employees, such an attack could result in significant productivity losses and potential security implications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to technique T1499.004 Network Denial of Service, where the attacker leverages protocol implementation flaws to cause service unavailability. The attack vector is particularly dangerous as it operates at the network layer, affecting the fundamental communication capabilities of the affected devices.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-0658 should focus on both immediate defensive measures and long-term architectural improvements. Cisco has released patches and firmware updates to address this vulnerability, which organizations should implement immediately to protect their network infrastructure. Network segmentation and access control measures can help limit the potential impact by preventing unauthorized network access to the affected devices. Implementing SIP header validation rules at network boundaries and using intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious SIP traffic patterns can provide additional layers of protection. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring solutions that can detect unusual unregistration patterns and alert administrators to potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of regular security assessments and patch management processes, as it represents a preventable issue that can be addressed through proper maintenance and security hygiene practices. From a compliance standpoint, this vulnerability could impact organizations subject to regulations requiring robust communication infrastructure security measures, making timely remediation not just a security necessity but a regulatory requirement.