CVE-2015-0606 in IOS
Summary
by MITRE
The IOS Shell in Cisco IOS allows local users to cause a denial of service (device crash) via unspecified commands, aka Bug ID CSCur59696.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/10/2015
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-0606 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the IOS Shell component of Cisco IOS operating systems. This vulnerability specifically affects the command processing mechanisms within the IOS shell environment, where local users can exploit unspecified commands to trigger device crashes. The issue manifests as a device-level denial of service condition that can result in complete system unavailability, impacting network infrastructure reliability and operational continuity. The vulnerability was catalogued under Bug ID CSCur59696, indicating its classification within Cisco's internal tracking systems for security issues.
The technical nature of this flaw resides in the improper handling of certain commands within the IOS shell execution environment. When local users execute specific sequences or malformed commands through the IOS shell interface, the system fails to properly validate or process these inputs, leading to memory corruption or execution flow disruptions that ultimately cause the device to crash and restart. This type of vulnerability typically stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms and inadequate error handling within the shell command processor. The vulnerability affects multiple Cisco IOS device families including routers and switches, making it particularly dangerous for network infrastructure administrators who rely on these devices for critical network operations.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to network availability and stability. Local users with access to the device can intentionally cause system crashes, potentially leading to extended network outages that can affect multiple services and applications depending on the network infrastructure. The denial of service condition can occur without requiring external network access, making it particularly concerning as it can be exploited by malicious insiders or compromised local accounts. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially affecting business continuity, customer service availability, and overall network reliability. Organizations may experience increased maintenance overhead and potential revenue loss due to unplanned outages and system recovery operations.
Security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest Cisco IOS software patches and updates that address this specific vulnerability. Network administrators should also consider implementing additional access controls to limit local shell access to only trusted personnel and establish monitoring procedures to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and may also relate to CWE-122 for heap-based buffer overflow scenarios that could occur during command processing. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability could be categorized under T1499 for network denial of service attacks and potentially T1078 for valid accounts usage to exploit local access privileges. Organizations should also consider implementing device hardening practices, including disabling unnecessary shell access and implementing robust logging and monitoring solutions to detect anomalous command execution patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.