Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software: denial of service flaw under attack

What is affected

Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software is found on ordinary personal computers and phones, so this is not only a problem for companies. If you use it and have not updated since the fix was released, you are exposed.

A vulnerability in the UDP processing code of Cisco IOS and IOS XE could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the input queue of an affected system to hold UDP packets, causing an interface queue wedge and denial of service.

What an attacker can do

This is a denial of service flaw. It lets an attacker crash the product or make it unavailable to the people who rely on it.

How it is reached

Over the internet or network

Access the attacker needs

No account needed

Does the victim have to do something?

No, works without the victim doing anything

What to do

1. Update Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software now. Open the update or "About" screen, install whatever is offered and restart the app or device, because the fix is not active until you do.
2. Turn on automatic updates so the next fix arrives without you having to look for it.
3. If your device is too old to receive this update, stop using the affected app for anything sensitive and plan a replacement.

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

How urgent is it

CISA added this vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on March 3, 2022, which means there is reliable evidence of attacks in the wild. US federal agencies must fix it by March 24, 2022, a deadline that has already passed. That deadline does not bind anyone else, but it shows how seriously the agency rates it.

The EPSS model estimates a 6.2% probability that this flaw will be exploited somewhere in the next 30 days. That is higher than 93% of all scored vulnerabilities.

Its CVSS severity score is 7.5 out of 10 (high), as recorded in the US National Vulnerability Database.

Technical description

A vulnerability in the UDP processing code of Cisco IOS 15.1, 15.2, and 15.4 and IOS XE 3.14 through 3.18 could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the input queue of an affected system to hold UDP packets, causing an interface queue wedge and a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to Cisco IOS Software application changes that create UDP sockets and leave the sockets idle without closing them. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending UDP packets with a destination port of 0 to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause UDP packets to be held in the input interfaces queue, resulting in a DoS condition. The input interface queue will stop holding UDP packets when it receives 250 packets. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCup10024, CSCva55744, CSCva95506.