CVE-2015-6313 in TelePresence Server
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco TelePresence Server 4.1(2.29) through 4.2(4.17) on 7010; Mobility Services Engine (MSE) 8710; Multiparty Media 310, 320, and 820; and Virtual Machine (VM) devices allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption or device reload) via crafted HTTP requests that are not followed by an unspecified negotiation, aka Bug ID CSCuv47565.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/12/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2015-6313 represents a critical denial of service flaw affecting multiple Cisco telepresence and mobility infrastructure devices including TelePresence Server versions 4.1(2.29) through 4.2(4.17), Mobility Services Engine 8710, Multiparty Media 310, 320, and 820 devices, as well as Virtual Machine implementations. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-400 category of Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, specifically manifesting as memory exhaustion or device reload conditions that can be triggered remotely by malicious actors. The flaw is particularly concerning because it affects enterprise communication infrastructure devices that are critical for business continuity and remote collaboration operations.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the improper handling of HTTP requests within the affected Cisco devices. Attackers can craft specially formatted HTTP requests that initiate a process flow which does not properly conclude with an expected negotiation phase. This creates a resource consumption scenario where the device's memory management system becomes overwhelmed with incomplete request processing states, leading to either gradual memory exhaustion or immediate device reload conditions. The vulnerability specifically targets the protocol handling mechanisms within the device's web server implementation, where the absence of proper request termination validation allows attackers to maintain persistent resource allocation states.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations relying on Cisco telepresence and mobility solutions for critical business communications. The denial of service conditions can result in complete service interruption for video conferencing systems, potentially affecting thousands of users across distributed enterprise networks. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can exploit this vulnerability from outside the network perimeter without requiring authentication credentials, making it particularly dangerous for organizations with limited network segmentation. The vulnerability affects devices that are typically deployed in mission-critical environments where availability is paramount, including executive offices, customer service centers, and remote collaboration hubs.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in relation to the ATT&CK framework's T1499.004 technique for Network Denial of Service, as it represents a specific implementation flaw that can be exploited to disrupt network services. The vulnerability also aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK T1566.001 technique for Phishing with Malicious Attachments, as attackers may use this flaw in conjunction with social engineering campaigns targeting network administrators. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to isolate affected devices, deployment of intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious HTTP traffic patterns, and application of Cisco's security patches. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and resource management in embedded web server implementations, particularly in devices that handle real-time multimedia communications where reliability is critical for business operations.