CVE-2018-0332 in Unified IP Phone
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) ingress packet processing of Cisco Unified IP Phone software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to a lack of flow-control mechanisms in the software. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending high volumes of SIP INVITE traffic to the targeted device. Successful exploitation could allow the attacker to cause a disruption of services on the targeted IP phone. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCve10064, CSCve14617, CSCve14638, CSCve14683, CSCve20812, CSCve20926, CSCve20945.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/22/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-0332 affects Cisco Unified IP Phone software and represents a significant denial of service weakness in session initiation protocol processing. This flaw resides in the ingress packet handling mechanisms of SIP traffic, where the software fails to implement adequate flow-control measures to manage incoming traffic volumes. The absence of proper traffic management protocols creates an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by remote attackers without requiring authentication credentials, making it particularly dangerous in network environments where IP phones serve as critical communication endpoints.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the injection of excessive SIP INVITE messages targeting specific IP phone devices. This type of attack directly targets the fundamental communication infrastructure of VoIP systems, where the SIP protocol is responsible for establishing, modifying, and terminating real-time sessions involving voice, video, and messaging applications. The lack of flow-control mechanisms means that the device cannot effectively distinguish between legitimate traffic and malicious flood attacks, leading to resource exhaustion and service disruption. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes improper resource management as a common weakness in software design, particularly when systems fail to implement adequate rate limiting or traffic shaping controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise entire communication infrastructures within organizations that rely heavily on IP-based telephony systems. When exploited successfully, the DoS condition can render IP phones unusable for legitimate users, effectively cutting off critical business communication channels. This type of attack can be particularly damaging in enterprise environments where IP phones serve as primary communication tools for employees, customer service representatives, and executive teams. The vulnerability affects multiple Cisco Unified IP Phone models and is tracked under several Cisco bug IDs, indicating the widespread nature of the issue across different device families and software versions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing network-level controls and device-specific configurations to prevent exploitation. Network administrators should deploy rate-limiting mechanisms at network boundaries to control SIP traffic volumes entering the network, while also implementing proper access control lists to restrict unauthorized SIP traffic. The Cisco recommended approach involves configuring the affected devices with appropriate flow-control settings and monitoring for unusual traffic patterns that might indicate an ongoing attack. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify and alert on abnormal SIP traffic behavior, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1499.002 for network disruption attacks. Regular software updates and patches should be applied to address the underlying flow-control deficiencies, while network segmentation can help isolate vulnerable IP phone systems from broader network access to limit potential attack surface.