Summary

• A vulnerability in the data plane microcode of Lightspeed-Plus line cards for Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers, ASR 9902 Compact High-Performance Routers, and ASR 9903 Compact High-Performance Routers could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the line card to reset.

  This vulnerability is due to the incorrect handling of malformed packets that are received on the Lightspeed-Plus line cards. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted IPv4 or IPv6 packet through an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the Lightspeed-Plus line card to reset, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition for any traffic that traverses that line card.

  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-lsplus-Z6AQEOjk

  This advisory is part of the April 2022 release of the Cisco IOS XR Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication. For a complete list of the advisories and links to them, see Cisco Event Response: April 2022 Cisco IOS XR Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication.

Affected Products

• Vulnerable Products

  This vulnerability affects Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers if they are running a vulnerable release of Cisco IOS XR 64-bit Software and have a Lightspeed-Plus-based line card installed.

  This vulnerability also affects the following Cisco products if they are running a vulnerable release of Cisco IOS XR 64-bit Software:

  • ASR 9902 Compact High-Performance Routers
  • ASR 9903 Compact High-Performance Routers

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

  Determine Which Line Cards are Installed

  To determine which line cards are installed in the device, use the show platform CLI command.

  The following line cards are Lightspeed-Plus-based:

  • A9K-4HG-FLEX-SE
  • A9K-4HG-FLEX-TR
  • A9K-8HG-FLEX-SE
  • A9K-8HG-FLEX-TR
  • A9K-20HG-FLEX-SE
  • A9K-20HG-FLEX-TR
  • A99-4HG-FLEX-SE
  • A99-4HG-FLEX-TR
  • A99-10X400GE-X-SE
  • A99-10X400GE-X-TR
  • A99-32X100GE-X-SE
  • A99-32X100GE-X-TR

  For more information about line card type identification, see ASR 9000 Series Line Card Types.

  Note: The Cisco Lightspeed-Plus list of product identifiers was accurate at the time of publication. For specific questions and further clarification about a product identifier, contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC).

  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 Software
  • IOS XE Software
  • IOS XR Platforms not listed in the Vulnerable Products section of this advisory
  • NX-OS Software

Details

• When this vulnerability is successfully exploited, logs will show a warning message similar to the following:

  npu_server[351]: %PLATFORM-NP-4-HARD_RESET_START : NP0: Performing recovery action for an internal network processor error. (PA2REG.ppe_int1)

Workarounds

• There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.

Fixed Software

• Cisco has released free software updates that address the vulnerability described in this advisory. Customers with service contracts that entitle them to regular software updates should obtain security fixes through their usual update channels.

  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:
  https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/end-user-license-agreement.html

  Additionally, 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.

  The Cisco Support and Downloads page on Cisco.com provides information about licensing and downloads. This page can also display customer device support coverage for customers who use the My Devices tool.

  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.

  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 TAC: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/web/tsd-cisco-worldwide-contacts.html

  Customers 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.

  Fixed Releases

  In the following table(s), the left column lists Cisco software releases. The right column indicates whether a release is affected by the vulnerability described in this advisory and the first release that includes the fix for this vulnerability. Customers are advised to upgrade to an appropriate fixed software release as indicated in this section.

  Cisco IOS XR Software Release	First Fixed Release
  7.0 and earlier	Not vulnerable.
  7.1	Vulnerable; migrate to a fixed release or apply an SMU or Service Pack.
  7.2	Not vulnerable; no ASR9K support.
  7.3	7.3.2
  7.4 and later	Not affected.

  Cisco has released the following SMUs to address this vulnerability. Customers who require SMUs for releases that are not listed are advised to contact their support organization.

  Cisco IOS XR Software Release	Platform	SMU Name
  7.1.2	ASR9K-X64	asr9k-x64-7.1.2.CSCvy48962
  7.1.3	ASR9K-X64	asr9k-x64-7.1.3.CSCvz75757

  Cisco has released the following Service Packs that include the SMU to address this vulnerability.

  Cisco IOS XR Software Release	Platform	Service Pack Name
  7.1.2	ASR9K-X64	asr9k-px-7.1.2.k9-sp1.tar

  The Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) validates only the affected and fixed release information that is documented in this advisory.

Exploitation and Public Announcements

• The Cisco 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-lsplus-Z6AQEOjk

Revision History

• Version	Description	Section	Status	Date
  1.1	Added vulnerable products.	Affected Products	Final	2022-APR-28
  1.0	Initial public release.	—	Final	2022-APR-13

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