CVE-2020-3175 in NX-OS
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the resource handling system of Cisco NX-OS Software for Cisco MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Switches could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper resource usage control. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending traffic to the management interface (mgmt0) of an affected device at very high rates. An exploit could allow the attacker to cause unexpected behaviors such as high CPU usage, process crashes, or even full system reboots of an affected device.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/06/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-3175 resides within the resource handling system of Cisco NX-OS Software operating on Cisco MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Switches, representing a critical security weakness that can be exploited remotely without authentication. This flaw manifests in the improper control of resource usage, creating a pathway for attackers to manipulate system resources through carefully crafted network traffic directed at the management interface. The affected device architecture fails to adequately validate or limit resource consumption patterns, allowing malicious actors to exploit this gap in resource management controls. The vulnerability specifically targets the management interface known as mgmt0, which serves as the primary communication channel for administrative access and system monitoring. This interface becomes a critical attack vector when subjected to high-rate traffic patterns that overwhelm the system's resource handling mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves sending sustained high-volume traffic to the mgmt0 interface, which triggers a cascade of resource management failures within the NX-OS software stack. When the system encounters this malformed or excessive traffic pattern, it fails to properly regulate resource allocation and processing, leading to abnormal system behavior. The resource handling system becomes overwhelmed by the rate of incoming requests, causing it to consume excessive CPU cycles and memory resources. This improper resource control mechanism manifests through several operational symptoms including sustained high CPU utilization that can reach critical levels, process instability resulting in unexpected crashes, and ultimately complete system reboots that render the device unavailable to legitimate users. The vulnerability operates at the software level within the NX-OS operating system, specifically affecting how the system manages concurrent resource requests and processes incoming management traffic.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-3175 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire network infrastructure that relies on the affected switches for data transmission. When a Cisco MDS 9000 Series switch experiences a denial of service condition due to this vulnerability, network administrators lose access to critical management functions, preventing them from monitoring, configuring, or troubleshooting the device during an attack. The high CPU usage and process crashes can cascade through the system, potentially affecting data forwarding capabilities and causing network partitions that impact data center operations. System reboots create extended downtime periods that can severely impact business continuity, particularly in mission-critical environments where storage area networks depend on these switches for reliable data transmission. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can exploit this vulnerability from outside the network perimeter, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no physical access or prior authentication credentials.
Organizations affected by CVE-2020-3175 should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to isolate management interfaces from untrusted networks, implementing rate limiting on traffic to the mgmt0 interface, and applying the latest security patches provided by Cisco. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-399, which addresses Resource Management Issues, specifically focusing on insufficient resource management and improper resource control mechanisms. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique for Network Denial of Service, as it enables an attacker to disrupt network services through resource exhaustion. Additional defensive measures should include monitoring for unusual CPU utilization patterns, implementing network access controls to restrict management interface access, and establishing robust incident response procedures to quickly identify and contain exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify and alert on suspicious traffic patterns targeting the management interface, as the vulnerability's exploitation often produces detectable network signatures that can be used for proactive threat hunting.