CVE-2014-3354 in IOS
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco IOS 12.0, 12.2, 12.4, 15.0, 15.1, 15.2, and 15.3 and IOS XE 2.x and 3.x before 3.7.4S; 3.2.xSE and 3.3.xSE before 3.3.2SE; 3.3.xSG and 3.4.xSG before 3.4.4SG; and 3.8.xS, 3.9.xS, and 3.10.xS before 3.10.1S allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device reload) via malformed RSVP packets, aka Bug ID CSCui11547.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/21/2022
Cisco IOS and IOS XE software versions affected by CVE-2014-3354 contain a vulnerability in the resource reservation protocol rsvp processing module that enables remote attackers to trigger device reloads through carefully crafted malformed rsvp packets. This vulnerability represents a classic denial of service flaw that can be exploited without authentication, making it particularly dangerous in network environments where rsvp traffic is processed by affected devices. The issue stems from insufficient input validation within the rsvp packet parsing logic, which fails to properly handle malformed packet structures that could cause memory corruption or unexpected behavior in the processing routine.
The technical flaw manifests when the device receives rsvp packets containing invalid or unexpected field values that are not properly sanitized before being processed by the network operating system. This particular vulnerability is classified under CWE-129 as an insufficient input validation issue, where the system fails to validate the range, size, or format of input data before processing. When such malformed packets are received, the rsvp processing component attempts to parse and handle these invalid structures, leading to memory corruption that ultimately results in a system crash and subsequent device reload. The exploit requires only network connectivity to the affected device and does not require any special privileges or authentication credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it can affect network availability and reliability across enterprise and service provider networks. Network devices running vulnerable software versions may experience unexpected reloads that can lead to temporary network outages, service interruptions, and potential cascading failures in network infrastructure. Organizations relying on rsvp for traffic engineering, quality of service management, or MPLS-based services would face significant operational challenges when affected devices experience reloads. The vulnerability affects multiple major software versions including IOS 12.x, 15.x series and IOS XE 2.x, 3.x releases, indicating a widespread exposure across Cisco's product portfolio. This vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks and represents a critical threat to network stability and availability.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate software updates to patched versions of Cisco IOS and IOS XE software. Organizations should upgrade to the latest available releases that contain fixes for CSCui11547, specifically targeting versions mentioned in the advisory including 3.7.4S for IOS XE 2.x and 3.x, 3.3.2SE for 3.2.xSE and 3.3.xSE, 3.4.4SG for 3.3.xSG and 3.4.xSG, and 3.10.1S for 3.8.xS, 3.9.xS, and 3.10.xS releases. Network administrators should also consider implementing access control lists or firewall rules to filter rsvp traffic where possible, though this approach provides only partial protection as the vulnerability can be triggered through various rsvp packet formats. Additionally, monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual reload patterns or rsvp traffic anomalies that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date network security patches and implementing robust network segmentation strategies to limit the impact of such exploits across network infrastructure.