Cisco Releases Security Advisory for Wireless Gateways

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NMS: CSCO) has released a security advisory focused on key components susceptible to DoS and Privilege Escalation vulnerabilities inherent in the networking giant’s Wireless LAN Controllers, Catalyst 6500 Wireless Services Modules, and last but not least their superb (in our opinion) Catalyst 3750 Integrated Wireless LAN Controllers. The company has issued patches for the enumerated issues. There are no workarounds outside of the patch activity. The full advisory appears after the jump. Get patching folks.
Cisco Security Advisory: Multiple Vulnerabilities in Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Advisory ID: cisco-sa-20090204-wlc
Revision 1.0
For Public Release 2009 February 04 1600 UTC (GMT)
Summary
=======
Multiple vulnerabilities exist in the Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs), Cisco Catalyst 6500 Wireless Services Modules (WiSMs), and Cisco Catalyst 3750 Integrated Wireless LAN Controllers. This security advisory outlines details of the following vulnerabilities:
* Denial of Service Vulnerabilities (total of three)
* Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
These vulnerabilities are independent of each other.
Cisco has released free software updates that address these vulnerabilities.
There are no workarounds available for these vulnerabilities.

This advisory is posted at http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-sa-20090204-wlc.shtml.
Affected Products
=================
Vulnerable Products
+——————
The following products and software versions are affected for each vulnerability.
Denial of Service Vulnerabilities
+——————————–
Two denial of service (DoS) vulnerabilities affect software versions 4.2 and later. All Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) platforms are affected. A third DoS vulnerability affects software versions 4.1 and later. The following platforms are affected by this vulnerability:
* Cisco 4400 Series Wireless LAN Controllers
* Cisco 4100 Series Wireless LAN Controllers
* Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series/7600 Series Wireless Services Module (WiSM)
* Cisco Catalyst 3750 Series Integrated Wireless LAN Controllers
Note: The Cisco Wireless LAN Controller Modules supported on Cisco 2800 and 3800 series Integrated Services Routers are not vulnerable. The Cisco 2000 and 2100 Series Wireless LAN Controllers are also not affected by this vulnerability.
Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
+———————————
Only WLC software version 4.2.173.0 is affected by this vulnerability.
Determination of Software Versions
+———————————
To determine the WLC version that is running in a given environment, use one of the following methods:
* In the web interface, choose the Monitor tab, click Summary in the left pane, and note the Software Version.
* From the command-line interface, type “show sysinfo” and note the Product Version, as shown in the following example:
(Cisco Controller) >show sysinfo
Manufacturer’s Name.. Cisco Systems Inc.
Product Name……… Cisco Controller
Product Version…… 5.1.151.0
RTOS Version……… Linux-2.6.10_mvl401
Bootloader Version… 4.0.207.0
Build Type……….. DATA + WPS

Use the “show wism module controller 1 status” command on a Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series/7600 Series switch if using a WiSM, and note the Software Version, as demonstrated in the following example:
Router#show wism mod 3 controller 1 status
WiSM Controller 1 in Slot 3
Operational Status of the Controller: Oper-Up
Service VLAN: 192
Service Port: 10
Service Port Mac Address: 0011.92ff.8742
Service IP Address: 192.168.10.1
Management IP Address: 192.168.1.123
Software Version: 5.1.151.0
Port Channel Number: 288
Allowed vlan list: 30,40
Native VLAN ID: 40
WCP Keep Alive Missed: 0
Products Confirmed Not Vulnerable
+——————————–
No other Cisco products are currently known to be affected by these vulnerabilities.
Details
=======
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs), Cisco Catalyst 6500 Wireless Services Modules (WiSMs), and Cisco Catalyst 3750 Integrated Wireless LAN Controllers are responsible for system-wide wireless LAN functions, such as security policies, intrusion prevention, RF management, quality of service (QoS), and mobility. These devices communicate with Controller-based Access Points over any Layer 2 (Ethernet) or Layer 3 (IP) infrastructure using the Lightweight Access Point Protocol (LWAPP). This Security Advisory describes multiple distinct vulnerabilities in the WLCs, WiSMs, and the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Integrated WLCs. These vulnerabilities are independent of each other.
Denial of Service Vulnerabilities
+——————————–
These vulnerabilities are documented in the following Cisco Bug ID and have been assigned the following Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) identifiers:
* CSCsq44516 - CVE-2009-0058
Web authentication is a Layer 3 security feature that causes the controller to drop IP traffic (except DHCP and DNS related packets) from a particular client until that client has correctly supplied a valid username and password. An attacker may use a vulnerability scanner to cause the device to stop servicing web authentication or cause a reload of the device. The following error messages may appear on the console during an active attack:
SshPmStMain/pm_st_main.c:1954/
ssh_pm_st_main_batch_addition_result:
Failed to add rule to the engine:
restoring old state
SshEnginePmApiPm/engine_pm_api_pm.c:1896/
ssh_pme_enable_policy_lookup:
Could not allocate message
* CSCsm82364 - CVE-2009-0059
An attacker may cause a device reload when sending a malformed post to the web authentication “login.html” page. The following error messages may appear on the WLC console during this attack:
Cisco Crash Handler
Signal generated during a signal 11, count 193
Memory 0×14ef1e44 has been freed!
Note: A crash file is not generated during this attack.
* CSCso60979 - CVE-2009-0061
Affected Cisco WLC, WiSM and Catalyst 3750 Wireless LAN Controller models are vulnerable to a DoS condition that is triggered by the receipt of certain IP packets. Upon receiving these IP packets, the affected device may become unresponsive and require a reboot to recover. Note: This vulnerability affects software versions 4.1 and later in the Cisco 4400 series WLCs, Cisco Catalyst 6500 WiSM, and the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Integrated Wireless LAN Controllers. Cisco 4100, 2100, and 2000 series WLCs are not affected by this vulnerability.
Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
+———————————
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists only in WLC software version 4.2.173.0, and could allow a restricted user (i.e., Lobby Admin) to gain full administrative rights on the affected system. Note: Wireless network users are not affected by this vulnerability. This vulnerability is documented in Cisco Bug ID CSCsv62283 and has been assigned the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) identifier CVE-2009-0062.
Vulnerability Scoring Details
+—————————-
Cisco has provided scores for the vulnerabilities in this advisory based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS). The CVSS scoring in this Security Advisory is done in accordance with CVSS version 2.0. CVSS is a standards-based scoring method that conveys vulnerability severity and helps determine urgency and priority of response. Cisco has provided a base and temporal score. Customers can then compute environmental scores to assist in determining the impact of the vulnerability in individual networks. Cisco has provided an FAQ to answer additional questions regarding CVSS at http://www.cisco.com/web/about/security/intelligence/cvss-qandas.html Cisco has also provided a CVSS calculator to help compute the environmental impact for individual networks at http://intellishield.cisco.com/security/alertmanager/cvss
* Certain packets may cause WebAuth services to hang or reload the device (CSCsq44516)

CVSS Base Score - 6.1
Access Vector - Adjacent Network
Access Complexity - Low
Authentication - None
Confidentiality Impact - None
Integrity Impact - None
Availability Impact - Complete

CVSS Temporal Score - 5.0
Exploitability - Functional
Remediation Level - Official-Fix
Report Confidence - Confirmed
* Crash handling invalid post for webauth (CSCsq44516)

CVSS Base Score - 6.1
Access Vector - Adjacent Network
Access Complexity - Low
Authentication - None
Confidentiality Impact - None
Integrity Impact - None
Availability Impact - Complete

CVSS Temporal Score - 5.0
Exploitability - Functional
Remediation Level - Official-Fix
Report Confidence - Confirmed
* WLC TSEC driver may hang or crash the device (CSCso60979)

CVSS Base Score - 7.8
Access Vector - Network
Access Complexity - Low
Authentication - None
Confidentiality Impact - None
Integrity Impact - None
Availability Impact - Complete

CVSS Temporal Score - 6.4
Exploitability - Functional
Remediation Level - Official-Fix
Report Confidence - Confirmed
* Local Management Users may obtain full admin rights (CSCsv62283)

CVSS Base Score - 9.0
Access Vector - Network
Access Complexity - Low
Authentication - Single
Confidentiality Impact - Complete
Integrity Impact - Complete
Availability Impact - Complete

CVSS Temporal Score - 7.8
Exploitability - Functional
Remediation Level - Official-Fix
Report Confidence - Confirmed

Impact
======
Successful exploitation of the denial of service vulnerabilities may cause the affected device to hang or reload. Repeated exploitation could result in a sustained DoS condition. The privilege escalation vulnerability may allow an authenticated user to obtain full administrative rights on the affected system.

Software Versions and Fixes
===========================
When considering software upgrades, also consult http://www.cisco.com/go/psirt and any subsequent advisories to determine exposure and a complete upgrade solution. In all cases, customers should exercise caution to be certain the devices to be upgraded contain sufficient memory and that current hardware and software configurations will continue to be supported properly by the new release. If the information is not clear, contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) or your contracted maintenance provider for assistance.