CVE-2018-0230: High severity Cisco Firepower Threat Defense vulnerability

Published Apr 19, 2018

Updated

A vulnerability in the internal packet-processing functionality of Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software for Cisco Firepower 2100 Series Security Appliances could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause an affected device to stop processing traffic, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to the affected software improperly validating IP Version 4 (IPv4) and IP Version 6 (IPv6) packets after the software reassembles the packets (following IP Fragmentation). An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a series of malicious, fragmented IPv4 or IPv6 packets to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause Snort processes on the affected device to hang at 100% CPU utilization, which could cause the device to stop processing traffic and result in a DoS condition until the device is reloaded manually. This vulnerability affects Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software Releases 6.2.1 and 6.2.2, if the software is running on a Cisco Firepower 2100 Series Security Appliance. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvf91098.

Affected Software

5 affected components

Cisco Firepower Threat Defense=6.2.1

Cisco Firepower Threat Defense=6.2.2

Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software=9.8\(2\)

Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense=6.2.1

Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense=6.2.2

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

Upgrade
Upgrade Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software (Cisco Firepower 2100 Series Security Appliances) to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 6.2.1
Upgrade
Upgrade Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software (Cisco Firepower 2100 Series Security Appliances) to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 6.2.2
Compensating control
Apply a compensating network control to limit exposure to the affected device by filtering/dropping fragmented IPv4 and IPv6 packets destined for the Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) interfaces (since exploitation involves sending a series of malicious fragmented IPv4 or IPv6 packets).
Operational
If the device is impacted and stops processing traffic due to the DoS condition, reload the device manually as described in the scenario (DoS persists until the device is reloaded manually).

Event History

Apr 19, 2018

CVE Published

via MITRE·08:00 PM

Data Sourced

via MITRE·08:00 PM

DescriptionWeakness

Data Sourced

via NVD·08:29 PM

DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the severity of CVE-2018-0230?

CVE-2018-0230 is rated as a high severity vulnerability due to its potential to cause a denial of service.

How do I fix CVE-2018-0230?

To mitigate CVE-2018-0230, upgrade to the patched versions of Cisco Firepower Threat Defense or Adaptive Security Appliance Software as specified by Cisco.

What devices are affected by CVE-2018-0230?

CVE-2018-0230 affects Cisco Firepower Threat Defense software version 6.2.1 and 6.2.2, as well as Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software version 9.8(2).

Can CVE-2018-0230 be exploited remotely?

Yes, CVE-2018-0230 can be exploited by an unauthenticated remote attacker.

What impact does CVE-2018-0230 have on my system?

Exploitation of CVE-2018-0230 can lead to the affected device stopping its traffic processing, resulting in service disruption.