CVE-2014-0705 in Wireless LAN Controller
Summary
by MITRE
The multicast listener discovery (MLD) service on Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) devices 7.2, 7.3, 7.4 before 7.4.121.0, and 7.5, when MLDv2 Snooping is enabled, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device restart) via a malformed IPv6 MLDv2 packet, aka Bug ID CSCuh74233.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/07/2026
The vulnerability CVE-2014-0705 affects Cisco Wireless LAN Controller devices operating on specific software versions including 7.2, 7.3, 7.4 before 7.4.121.0, and 7.5. This issue resides within the Multicast Listener Discovery service which is responsible for managing multicast group memberships in IPv6 networks. When the MLDv2 Snooping feature is enabled on these controllers, the system becomes susceptible to a denial of service attack through the careful crafting of malformed IPv6 MLDv2 packets. The vulnerability represents a critical flaw in the controller's packet processing logic that fails to properly validate incoming multicast listener discovery messages. This weakness falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of input boundaries, specifically in the context of network protocol handling. The attack vector is remote and requires no authentication, making it particularly dangerous as any network-connected attacker can exploit this vulnerability.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker sends a specially crafted IPv6 MLDv2 packet that contains malformed data structures or invalid field values that the Cisco WLC does not properly handle during parsing. The device's MLDv2 processing module fails to implement adequate input validation mechanisms, leading to a buffer overflow condition or other memory corruption issues within the multicast listener discovery service. This flaw causes the affected WLC to crash and subsequently restart, resulting in a complete denial of service for wireless network services. The specific nature of the vulnerability indicates that the controller's software lacks proper bounds checking when processing the MLDv2 packet headers and payload data, allowing malicious input to overwrite critical memory locations or trigger unexpected execution paths within the multicast processing code. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a denial of service attack technique under the T1499.004 sub-technique for Network Denial of Service, with the attack occurring at the network infrastructure level.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it affects the core wireless infrastructure of enterprise networks. When a Cisco WLC experiences a restart due to this vulnerability, all wireless clients connected to that controller lose network connectivity, potentially disrupting business operations and creating security gaps in network monitoring. The attack can be executed continuously, leading to sustained denial of service conditions that may require manual intervention to restore services. Organizations relying on Cisco WLC devices for wireless network management face significant risks, particularly in mission-critical environments where wireless connectivity is essential for operations. The vulnerability affects both the 7.2 and 7.3 software versions and the 7.4 releases prior to 7.4.121.0, indicating that this was a long-standing issue that required multiple patch releases to address. Network administrators must consider that this vulnerability could be exploited by attackers seeking to disrupt wireless services or as part of a broader attack campaign targeting network infrastructure components.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-0705 should prioritize immediate software updates to the affected Cisco WLC versions, specifically upgrading to software releases that contain the relevant security patches. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit exposure by isolating WLC management interfaces from untrusted networks and applying access control lists to restrict MLDv2 traffic. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns of multicast traffic that might indicate exploitation attempts, including unusual MLDv2 packet rates or malformed packet signatures. The implementation of intrusion detection systems that can identify and block malformed MLDv2 packets represents an additional defensive layer. Cisco recommends disabling MLDv2 Snooping functionality when not required, as this removes the attack surface entirely. Security teams should also consider deploying network access control measures that can identify and quarantine devices attempting to exploit this vulnerability, while maintaining detailed audit logs of network events to facilitate forensic analysis if an attack occurs. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation in network protocol implementations and underscores the need for regular security assessments of network infrastructure devices.