Summary

• A vulnerability in the Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) message parser of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an attacker to trigger a reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition.

  This vulnerability is due to improper initialization of a buffer. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability via any of the following methods:

  • An authenticated, remote attacker could access the LLDP neighbor table via either the CLI or SNMP while the device is in a specific state.
  • An unauthenticated, adjacent attacker could corrupt the LLDP neighbor table by injecting specific LLDP frames into the network and then waiting for an administrator of the device or a network management system (NMS) managing the device to retrieve the LLDP neighbor table of the device via either the CLI or SNMP.
  • An authenticated, adjacent attacker with SNMP read-only credentials or low privileges on the device CLI could corrupt the LLDP neighbor table by injecting specific LLDP frames into the network and then accessing the LLDP neighbor table via either the CLI or SNMP.

  A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the affected device to crash, resulting in a reload of the device.

  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-lldp-dos-sBnuHSjT

  This advisory is part of the September 2021 release of the Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication. For a complete list of the advisories and links to them, see Cisco Event Response: September 2021 Semiannual Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication.

Affected Products

• Vulnerable Products

  At the time of publication, this vulnerability affected Cisco devices if they were running a vulnerable release of Cisco IOS or IOS XE Software and had the LLDP feature enabled.

  The LLDP feature is disabled in Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software by default.

  For information about which Cisco software releases are vulnerable, see the Fixed Software section of this advisory.

  Determine the Device Configuration

  To determine whether the LLDP feature is enabled, use the show running-config | include lldp run command at the device CLI. If the command returns output, the device is affected by this vulnerability. Empty output indicates that the LLDP feature is not enabled and the device is not affected by this vulnerability.

  Note: The show lldp command should not be used to determine the LLDP configuration because this command could trigger the vulnerability described in this advisory and cause a device reload.

  Products Confirmed Not Vulnerable

  Only products listed in the Vulnerable Products section of this advisory are known to be affected by this vulnerability.

  Cisco has confirmed that this vulnerability does not affect the following Cisco products:

  • IOS XR Software
  • Meraki products
  • NX-OS Software

Workarounds

• There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.

Fixed Software

• When considering software upgrades, customers are advised to regularly consult the advisories for Cisco products, which are available from the Cisco Security Advisories 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.

  Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software

  To help customers determine their exposure to vulnerabilities in Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software, Cisco provides the Cisco Software Checker to identify 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 the Cisco Software Checker to search advisories in the following ways:

  • Choose the software and one or more releases
  • Upload a .txt file that includes a list of specific releases
  • Enter the output of the show version command

  After initiating a search, customers can customize the search to include all Cisco Security Advisories, a specific advisory, or all advisories in the most recent bundled publication.

  Customers can also use the following form to determine whether a release is affected by any Cisco Security Advisory by entering a Cisco IOS or IOS XE Software release—for example, 15.1(4)M2 or 3.13.8S:

  By default, the Cisco Software Checker includes results only for vulnerabilities that have a Critical or High Security Impact Rating (SIR). To include results for Medium SIR vulnerabilities, customers can use the Cisco Software Checker on Cisco.com and check the Medium check box in the drop-down list under Impact Rating when customizing a search.

Exploitation and Public Announcements

• 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.

Source

• This vulnerability was found during the resolution of a Cisco TAC support case.

URL

• https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-lldp-dos-sBnuHSjT

Revision History

• Version	Description	Section	Status	Date
  1.0	Initial public release.	—	Final	2021-SEP-22

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