Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software Smart Install Denial-of-Service Vulnerability

[ Why it matters ]Priority signals

• Exploited in the wild: on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list since 2022-03-03

[ Description ]Official description

A vulnerability in the Smart Install feature of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to trigger a reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of packet data. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted packet to an affected device on TCP port 4786. Only Smart Install client switches are affected. Cisco devices that are configured as a Smart Install director are not affected by this vulnerability. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvd40673.

CISA: A vulnerability in the Smart Install feature of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to trigger a reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial-of-service (DoS) condition.

[ Fixes ]Fixes and patches

CISA required action (US federal deadline 17 Mar 2022): Apply updates per vendor instructions.

No fix or interim patch is linked from our sources yet. Check the vendor references below and limit exposure of affected systems until a fix is available.

[ References ]References

• www.securityfocus.com/bid/103569Third Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
• www.securitytracker.com/id/1040596Third Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
• ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSA-18-107-04Third Party AdvisoryUS Government Resource
• ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSA-18-107-05Third Party AdvisoryUS Government Resource
• tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180328-smiVendor Advisory
• www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalogUS Government Resource