Overview
Cisco 6000/6500/7600 series systems with Multilayer Switch Feature Card 2 (MSFC2) fail to properly process layer 2 frames.
Description
| Cisco 6000/6500/7600 series systems with MSFC2 contain a vulnerability in the way layer 2 frames are processed in software. By sending a specially crafted layer 2 frame that is inconsistent with the length of the encapsulated layer 3 packet, an attacker could cause the system to freeze or reset. This vulnerability only affects systems with specific hardware/software configurations. According to the Cisco Advisory, the following systems are affected: 
 
 Note: Cisco 6000/6500/7600 series systems with a Supervisor 720 are not affected by this vulnerability. The Cisco Advisory also mentions that affected systems may be running native or hybrid code. Hybrid is a term used to refer to a configuration where CatOS is running on the Supervisor Engine and Cisco IOS is running on the MSFC. Native code is a term used to refer to a configuration where a single IOS image runs on both the Supervisor and the MSFC. | 
Impact
| Exploitation of this vulnerability could cause a vulnerable system to freeze or reset resulting in a denial-of-service condition. In order to restore functionality, the system would have to be reset. | 
Solution
| Upgrade | 
Vendor Information
CVSS Metrics
| Group | Score | Vector | 
|---|---|---|
| Base | ||
| Temporal | ||
| Environmental | 
References
- http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-sa-20040203-cat6k.shtml
- http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps708/index.html
- http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps368/index.html
- http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/cc/pd/si/casi/ca6000/prodlit/msfc2_ds.htm
- http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/cisintwk/ito_doc/introint.htm#xtocid5
- http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps700/products_tech_note09186a008015bfa6.shtml#subtopic1A
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/9562
- http://xforce.iss.net/xforce/xfdb/15013
- http://www.secunia.com/advisories/10780/
Acknowledgements
This vulnerability was reported by the Cisco Systems Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT).
This document was written by Damon Morda.
Other Information
| CVE IDs: | CVE-2004-0244 | 
| Severity Metric: | 6.24 | 
| Date Public: | 2004-02-03 | 
| Date First Published: | 2004-03-30 | 
| Date Last Updated: | 2004-04-05 20:41 UTC | 
| Document Revision: | 32 |