Cisco Security Advisory
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A vulnerability in the H.323 subsystem of Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to create a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device.
The vulnerability is due to a failure to properly validate certain fields in an H.323 protocol suite message. When processing the malicious message, the affected device may attempt to access an invalid memory region, resulting in a crash. An attacker who can submit an H.323 packet designed to trigger the vulnerability could cause the affected device to crash and restart.
Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.
This advisory is available at the following link:
https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20160928-h323
This advisory is part of the September 28, 2016, release of the Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication, which includes 10 Cisco Security Advisories that describe 11 vulnerabilities. All the vulnerabilities have a Security Impact Rating of “High.” For a complete list of the advisories and links to them, see Cisco Event Response: September 2016 Semiannual Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication.
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Vulnerable Products
This vulnerability affects Cisco devices running affected Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software releases that are configured to process H.323 messages. Recent releases of Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software do not process H.323 messages by default.
For information about which Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software releases are vulnerable, see the Fixed Software section of this advisory.
To determine whether a device running Cisco IOS Software or Cisco IOS XE Software is processing H.323 messages, use the show process cpu | include H323 command, as shown in the following example:
Router# show process cpu | include H323
In the preceding example, the CCH323_CT and CCH323_DNS processes are running on the device. Therefore, the device is listening to H.323 messages. The device is vulnerable if any of these or similar H.323-related processes are active.
249 16000 3 5333 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0 CCH323_CT
250 0 1 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0 CCH323_DNS
Router#
Note: Because there are several ways for a device running Cisco IOS Software or Cisco IOS XE Software to start processing H.323 messages, Cisco recommends using the show process cpu | include H323 command instead of specific configuration commands to determine whether a device is processing H.323 messages.
Determining the Cisco IOS Software Release
To determine which Cisco IOS Software release is running on a device, administrators can log in to the device, use the show version command in the command-line interface (CLI), and then refer to the system banner that appears. If the device is running Cisco IOS Software, the system banner displays text similar to Cisco Internetwork Operating System Software or Cisco IOS Software. The banner also displays the installed image name in parentheses, followed by the Cisco IOS Software release number and release name. Some Cisco devices do not support the show version command or may provide different output.
The following example identifies a Cisco product that is running Cisco IOS Software Release 15.5(2)T1 with an installed image name of C2951-UNIVERSALK9-M:
Router> show version
Cisco IOS Software, C2951 Software (C2951-UNIVERSALK9-M), Version 15.5(2)T1, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1) Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport Copyright (c) 1986-2015 by Cisco Systems, Inc. Compiled Mon 22-Jun-15 09:32 by prod_rel_team . . .For information about the naming and numbering conventions for Cisco IOS Software releases, see White Paper: Cisco IOS and NX-OS Software Reference Guide.
Determining the Cisco IOS XE Software Release
To determine which Cisco IOS XE Software release is running on a device, administrators can log in to the device, use the show version command in the CLI, and then refer to the system banner that appears. If the device is running Cisco IOS XE Software, the system banner displays Cisco IOS XE Software or similar text.
The following example shows the output of the show version command on a device that is running Cisco IOS XE Software Release 3.16.1aS:
Router> show version Cisco IOS XE Software, Version 03.16.01a.S - Extended Support Release Cisco IOS Software, ASR1000 Software (PPC_LINUX_IOSD-ADVENTERPRISEK9-M), Version 15.5(3)S1a, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1) Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport Copyright (c) 1986-2015 by Cisco Systems, Inc. Compiled Wed 04-Nov-15 17:40 by mcpre . . .
For information about the naming and numbering conventions for Cisco IOS XE Software releases, see White Paper: Cisco IOS and NX-OS Software Reference Guide.
Products Confirmed Not Vulnerable
No other Cisco products are currently known to be affected by this vulnerability.
Cisco has confirmed that this vulnerability does not affect Cisco IOS XR Software or Cisco NX-OS Software.
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Cisco has released free software updates that address the vulnerability described in this advisory. Customers may only install and expect support for software versions and feature sets for which they have purchased a license. By installing, downloading, accessing, or otherwise using such software upgrades, customers agree to follow the terms of the Cisco software license:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/general/warranty/English/EU1KEN_.htmlAdditionally, customers may only download software for which they have a valid license, procured from Cisco directly, or through a Cisco authorized reseller or partner. In most cases this will be a maintenance upgrade to software that was previously purchased. Free security software updates do not entitle customers to a new software license, additional software feature sets, or major revision upgrades.
When considering software upgrades, customers are advised to regularly consult the advisories for Cisco products, which are available from the Cisco Security Advisories and Alerts page, to determine exposure and a complete upgrade solution.
In all cases, customers should ensure that the devices to be upgraded contain sufficient memory and confirm that current hardware and software configurations will continue to be supported properly by the new release. If the information is not clear, customers are advised to contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) or their contracted maintenance providers.
Customers Without Service Contracts
Customers who purchase directly from Cisco but do not hold a Cisco service contract and customers who make purchases through third-party vendors but are unsuccessful in obtaining fixed software through their point of sale should obtain upgrades by contacting the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC):
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/support/tsd_cisco_worldwide_contacts.htmlCustomers should have the product serial number available and be prepared to provide the URL of this advisory as evidence of entitlement to a free upgrade.
Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software
To help customers determine their exposure to vulnerabilities in Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software, Cisco provides a tool, the Cisco IOS Software Checker, that identifies any Cisco Security Advisories that impact a specific software release and the earliest release that fixes the vulnerabilities described in each advisory (“First Fixed”). If applicable, the tool also returns the earliest release that fixes all the vulnerabilities described in all the advisories identified (“Combined First Fixed”).
Customers can use this tool to perform the following tasks:
- Initiate a search by choosing one or more releases from a drop-down menu or uploading a file from a local system for the tool to parse
- Enter the output of the show version command for the tool to parse
- Create a custom search by including all previously published Cisco Security Advisories, a specific advisory, or all advisories in the most recent bundled publication
To determine whether a release is affected by any published Cisco Security Advisory, use the Cisco IOS Software Checker on Cisco.com or enter a Cisco IOS Software or Cisco IOS XE Software release—for example, 15.1(4)M2 or 3.1.4S—in the following field:
For a mapping of Cisco IOS XE Software releases to Cisco IOS Software releases, refer to the Cisco IOS XE 2 Release Notes, Cisco IOS XE 3S Release Notes, or Cisco IOS XE 3SG Release Notes, depending on the Cisco IOS XE Software release.
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The Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) is not aware of any public announcements or malicious use of the vulnerability that is described in this advisory.
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This vulnerability was discovered during the investigation of customer cases by the Cisco TAC.
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To learn about Cisco security vulnerability disclosure policies and publications, see the Security Vulnerability Policy. This document also contains instructions for obtaining fixed software and receiving security vulnerability information from Cisco.
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Show LessVersion Description Section Status Date 1.0 Initial public release. — Final 2016-September-28
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