CVE-2015-0635 in IOS
Summary
by MITRE
The Autonomic Networking Infrastructure (ANI) implementation in Cisco IOS 12.2, 12.4, 15.0, 15.2, 15.3, and 15.4 and IOS XE 3.10.xS through 3.13.xS before 3.13.1S allows remote attackers to spoof Autonomic Networking Registration Authority (ANRA) responses, and consequently bypass intended device and node access restrictions or cause a denial of service (disrupted domain access), via crafted AN messages, aka Bug ID CSCup62191.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/16/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2015-0635 affects the Autonomic Networking Infrastructure implementation within Cisco IOS and IOS XE operating systems, specifically impacting versions 12.2 through 15.4 and IOS XE 3.10.xS through 3.13.xS before 3.13.1S. This flaw resides in the Autonomic Networking Registration Authority (ANRA) component which is responsible for managing device registration and access control within autonomic networking domains. The vulnerability represents a critical weakness in the network infrastructure's ability to maintain secure device authentication and authorization, as it allows remote attackers to manipulate the registration process through carefully crafted malicious Autonomic Networking messages.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within the ANRA response processing functionality. Attackers can exploit this weakness by sending specially crafted AN messages that appear to originate from legitimate ANRA authorities, thereby fooling the system into accepting false registration responses. This spoofing capability directly violates the fundamental security principles of authentication and integrity that should be maintained within autonomic networking domains. The flaw operates at the protocol level where the system fails to properly verify the authenticity of incoming registration messages, allowing malicious actors to bypass intended access controls and potentially gain unauthorized access to network devices.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple access bypass to include potential denial of service conditions that can disrupt entire autonomic networking domains. When attackers successfully spoof ANRA responses, they can either grant unauthorized devices access to restricted network segments or prevent legitimate devices from accessing necessary network services. This disruption can cascade through the autonomic network, affecting multiple devices and potentially compromising the entire domain's operational integrity. The vulnerability particularly affects network infrastructure that relies on autonomic networking for self-management and self-configuration capabilities, which are increasingly common in modern enterprise and service provider networks where automated network management is critical.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) and represents a significant weakness in the network's trust model for device registration processes. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires only remote network access to exploit, making it accessible to attackers who may not have physical access to the network infrastructure. The vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1499 (Endpoint Detection and Response Evasion) as it allows for unauthorized access and can potentially evade traditional network monitoring systems that rely on legitimate-looking traffic patterns. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including firmware updates to affected versions, network segmentation to isolate autonomic domains, and enhanced monitoring of ANRA-related traffic to detect potential spoofing attempts.
The broader implications of this vulnerability highlight the challenges inherent in implementing secure self-managing network infrastructures. Autonomic networking aims to reduce administrative overhead by enabling devices to automatically configure and manage themselves, but this automation introduces new attack surfaces that must be carefully considered. The vulnerability demonstrates how even sophisticated network management features can contain fundamental security flaws that can be exploited by remote attackers. Organizations should conduct comprehensive assessments of their autonomic networking implementations and ensure that proper security controls are in place to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in other network management protocols and systems.