CVE-2015-0652 in TelePresence Video Communication Server
Summary
by MITRE
The Session Description Protocol (SDP) implementation in Cisco TelePresence Video Communication Server (VCS) and Cisco Expressway before X8.2 and Cisco TelePresence Conductor before XC2.4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (mishandled exception and device reload) via a crafted media description, aka Bug IDs CSCus96593 and CSCun73192.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/02/2024
The vulnerability CVE-2015-0652 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Cisco's video communication infrastructure, specifically affecting the Session Description Protocol implementation in TelePresence Video Communication Server VCS and Cisco Expressway products. This vulnerability stems from improper exception handling mechanisms within the SDP parsing functionality that processes media descriptions in real-time communication sessions. The flaw manifests when maliciously crafted media descriptions are transmitted to affected devices, causing the system to encounter an unhandled exception that results in complete device reload and service disruption.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of Session Description Protocol packets that contain malformed media descriptions. When the affected Cisco TelePresence devices process these crafted packets, the SDP parser fails to properly validate or sanitize the incoming media attributes, leading to a cascade of unhandled exceptions within the device's processing stack. This exception handling failure triggers automatic device restart procedures, effectively creating a denial of service condition that can be exploited remotely without authentication requirements. The vulnerability affects specific product versions including Cisco TelePresence VCS and Expressway prior to X8.2 releases, along with Cisco TelePresence Conductor before XC2.4 versions, making it particularly concerning for organizations relying on these communication platforms.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-0652 extends beyond simple service interruption to potentially compromise mission-critical communication infrastructures in enterprise, healthcare, and government environments. Organizations utilizing Cisco TelePresence systems for video conferencing, remote collaboration, and emergency communication services face significant risks when this vulnerability remains unpatched. The remote exploitability means that attackers can trigger the denial of service condition from external networks without requiring physical access or valid credentials, making it particularly dangerous for publicly accessible communication systems. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes improper exception handling as a fundamental weakness in software design that can lead to system instability and availability compromises.
Security practitioners should prioritize patching affected systems immediately, as the vulnerability provides no legitimate attack surface for authorized users while offering complete service disruption capabilities to malicious actors. The remediation process requires updating affected Cisco TelePresence VCS, Expressway, and Conductor devices to versions that contain proper SDP parsing validation and exception handling mechanisms. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect anomalous SDP packet patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, and consider deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify and block malformed media descriptions before they reach vulnerable endpoints. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of robust input validation and exception handling in real-time communication systems, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks and highlighting the need for proper software security practices throughout the development lifecycle.
The broader implications of this vulnerability underscore the necessity for comprehensive security testing of communication protocols and the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches across enterprise infrastructure. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their entire communication ecosystem to identify similar implementation flaws in other network services that may be susceptible to similar exploitation patterns. The incident serves as a reminder that even seemingly benign protocol implementations can contain critical flaws that, when exploited, can bring entire communication infrastructures to a halt, making proactive security measures and rapid patch deployment essential for maintaining operational continuity and network availability.