CVE-2015-0614 in Unity Connection
Summary
by MITRE
The Connection Conversation Manager (CuCsMgr) process in Cisco Unity Connection 8.5 before 8.5(1)SU7, 8.6 before 8.6(2a)SU4, 9.x before 9.1(2)SU2, and 10.0 before 10.0(1)SU1, when SIP trunk integration is enabled, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (core dump and restart) via crafted SIP INVITE messages, aka Bug ID CSCul26267.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/02/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2015-0614 represents a critical denial of service weakness within Cisco Unity Connection's Connection Conversation Manager component. This flaw specifically affects versions of Cisco Unity Connection spanning multiple release lines including 8.5, 8.6, 9.x, and 10.0 before their respective security patches. The vulnerability manifests when SIP trunk integration is enabled, creating a pathway for remote attackers to exploit the system through carefully crafted SIP INVITE messages that trigger system instability.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the improper handling of malformed SIP INVITE requests by the CuCsMgr process. When these crafted messages are received, they cause the Connection Conversation Manager to crash and generate core dumps, subsequently leading to system restarts. This behavior constitutes a classic denial of service attack pattern where legitimate system operations are disrupted through the exploitation of input validation weaknesses. The vulnerability specifically relates to the process's inability to properly sanitize and validate incoming SIP protocol messages, allowing malicious input to trigger unexpected system behavior.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to organizations relying on Cisco Unity Connection for their unified communications infrastructure. The remote attack vector means that adversaries can exploit this weakness without requiring physical access or local network presence, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network segmentation may not be complete. The resulting system restarts and core dumps can disrupt critical communication services, potentially affecting business continuity and user productivity. Organizations may experience service outages that require manual intervention to restore normal operations, while the core dump generation can consume significant system resources and storage space.
The impact of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and follows patterns commonly associated with the ATT&CK technique T1499.1, specifically targeting the availability of services through denial of service attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates how protocol handling flaws in unified communications systems can be exploited to create cascading failures that affect entire communication infrastructures. Security professionals should consider this vulnerability within the broader context of communication system security, particularly when implementing SIP-based solutions where proper input validation and error handling are critical for maintaining system integrity.
Organizations should prioritize applying the vendor-supplied patches for Cisco Unity Connection versions affected by this vulnerability, specifically targeting the releases mentioned in the CVE description including 8.5(1)SU7, 8.6(2a)SU4, 9.1(2)SU2, and 10.0(1)SU1. Network segmentation strategies should be implemented to limit exposure of affected systems to untrusted networks, while monitoring systems should be deployed to detect unusual SIP traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, implementing proper input validation measures and conducting regular security assessments of unified communications systems can help prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future, aligning with industry best practices for secure communications infrastructure management.