CVE-2019-12669 in IOS XE
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the RADIUS Change of Authorization (CoA) code of Cisco TrustSec, a feature within Cisco IOS XE Software, could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper handling of a malformed packet. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a malformed packet to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a DoS condition on the affected device.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/28/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-12669 resides within Cisco TrustSec functionality of Cisco IOS XE Software, specifically within the RADIUS Change of Authorization (CoA) code implementation. This represents a critical security weakness that undermines the integrity of network access control mechanisms. TrustSec serves as Cisco's solution for secure network segmentation and access control, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for enterprise environments that rely on robust network security infrastructure. The flaw manifests in the improper validation and processing of RADIUS CoA packets, which are essential for dynamically modifying user session parameters during network access.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the transmission of malformed packets to the affected Cisco IOS XE device. When the system receives such packets, it fails to properly handle the malformed data structure, leading to a potential system crash or restart. This improper handling constitutes a classic buffer overflow or input validation failure pattern, where the system does not adequately sanitize incoming network traffic before processing. The vulnerability's remote and unauthenticated nature means that attackers can exploit it from outside the network perimeter without requiring valid credentials, making it particularly dangerous for publicly accessible network devices. This weakness directly maps to CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers buffer overflow vulnerabilities in heap-based memory structures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise network availability and integrity. A successful DoS attack could render network access control services unavailable, effectively disabling TrustSec functionality and potentially allowing unauthorized network access. Network administrators would experience service interruptions that could affect thousands of users depending on the network infrastructure. The attack could be executed with minimal resources and technical expertise, making it an attractive target for malicious actors seeking to disrupt network operations. Organizations relying on TrustSec for network segmentation would face potential security breaches, as the DoS condition could be used as a precursor to more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability's presence in the RADIUS CoA processing code means that even legitimate network management operations could be disrupted, creating cascading effects throughout the network infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-12669 should prioritize immediate patch deployment from Cisco, as the company released security advisories and software updates addressing this specific vulnerability. Network segmentation and access control measures should be implemented to limit the attack surface, particularly by restricting direct access to network devices that process RADIUS traffic. Implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect malformed packet patterns and unusual traffic spikes will help identify potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider deploying intrusion detection systems with rules specifically designed to identify RADIUS CoA packet anomalies. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by limiting the number of devices that accept and process RADIUS CoA requests. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any similar weaknesses in the network infrastructure. Additionally, implementing proper network access control policies and maintaining updated security configurations will reduce the overall risk exposure. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability aligns with T1499.004 for network denial of service and T1566.001 for spearphishing via social media, as it represents an unauthenticated remote attack vector that can be exploited through network traffic manipulation.