CVE-2015-0751 in IP Phone
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco IP Phone 7861, when firmware from Cisco Unified Communications Manager 10.3(1) is used, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via crafted packets, aka Bug ID CSCus81800.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/01/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-0751 affects Cisco IP Phone 7861 devices operating with firmware from Cisco Unified Communications Manager version 10.3(1). This issue represents a remote denial of service vulnerability that can be exploited by attackers without requiring authentication or physical access to the affected device. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of crafted network packets that are transmitted to the IP phone, specifically targeting the device's network processing capabilities.
The technical flaw manifests in the device's inability to properly validate and process malformed or specially crafted network packets sent over the network. When these malicious packets are received by the Cisco IP Phone 7861, the device's network stack fails to handle the unexpected data format correctly, leading to a complete system crash or reboot. This behavior is characteristic of a buffer overflow or input validation vulnerability where the device's processing logic does not adequately sanitize incoming network traffic, allowing attackers to craft packets that trigger unexpected behavior in the device's network processing components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations relying on Cisco IP Phone 7861 devices within their communication infrastructure. A successful exploitation of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized disruption of voice communication services, potentially affecting business continuity and operational efficiency. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can target these devices from anywhere on the network, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where network segmentation is not properly implemented. The denial of service condition can persist until the device is manually rebooted or until the firmware is updated, creating potential downtime for critical communication services.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the latest firmware updates from Cisco that address this vulnerability, as well as implementing network segmentation and access control measures to limit potential attack vectors. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual packet patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes buffer overflow conditions where insufficient validation of input data leads to memory corruption, and corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1499.1, which covers network denial of service attacks targeting network infrastructure components. Security teams should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems to monitor for patterns consistent with this specific vulnerability and ensure that all network devices are regularly updated to prevent exploitation.