CVE-2014-3387 in ASA
Summary
by MITRE
The SunRPC inspection engine in Cisco ASA Software 7.2 before 7.2(5.14), 8.2 before 8.2(5.51), 8.3 before 8.3(2.42), 8.4 before 8.4(7.23), 8.5 before 8.5(1.21), 8.6 before 8.6(1.14), 8.7 before 8.7(1.13), 9.0 before 9.0(4.5), and 9.1 before 9.1(5.3) allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device reload) via crafted SunRPC packets, aka Bug ID CSCun11074.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/21/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-3387 represents a critical flaw in Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) software that affects multiple versions across different release lines. This issue resides within the SunRPC inspection engine, which is responsible for processing Remote Procedure Call traffic that operates over the SunRPC protocol. The vulnerability manifests as a denial of service condition that can force the affected device to reload, effectively disrupting network security services and potentially creating temporary network outages. The affected versions span from ASA Software 7.2 through 9.1, indicating this was a widespread issue that impacted a significant portion of Cisco's security appliance lineup.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves the improper handling of crafted SunRPC packets that bypass normal protocol inspection mechanisms. When the ASA device receives specially constructed SunRPC traffic, the inspection engine fails to properly validate or process the malformed packets, leading to an unexpected system state that triggers an automatic device reload. This behavior demonstrates a classic buffer overflow or memory corruption issue within the protocol inspection logic, where the device's processing of invalid input causes it to enter a failure state. The vulnerability specifically targets the SunRPC inspection functionality, which is part of the broader protocol inspection capabilities that allow the ASA to monitor and control various network protocols passing through the device.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can be exploited remotely by attackers without requiring authentication credentials or physical access to the network infrastructure. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where network security appliances are critical to maintaining network availability and security posture. The device reload caused by this vulnerability can result in temporary network interruption, potentially affecting security policies and network access controls during the restart period. Network administrators may experience service degradation or complete network outages depending on the criticality of the ASA device within their network architecture, and the frequency of exploitation can lead to persistent availability issues.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant security patches released by Cisco to address the specific SunRPC inspection engine flaw. The recommended approach involves upgrading to patched versions of Cisco ASA Software as specified in the advisory, which typically includes versions 7.2(5.14), 8.2(5.51), 8.3(2.42), 8.4(7.23), 8.5(1.21), 8.6(1.14), 8.7(1.13), 9.0(4.5), and 9.1(5.3) or later. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing access control lists or firewall rules to limit SunRPC traffic where possible, and monitor network logs for signs of exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121 and CWE-125 categories related to buffer overflow conditions and improper access to memory locations, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1499.002 for network denial of service attacks. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it affects the core inspection capabilities of the ASA device, making it a high-priority remediation item for all organizations using affected Cisco ASA versions.