A vulnerability in the Internet Key Exchange Version 2 (IKEv2) support for the AutoReconnect feature of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to exhaust the free IP addresses from the assigned local pool. This vulnerability occurs because the code does not release the allocated IP address under certain failure conditions. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by trying to connect to the device with a non-AnyConnect client. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to exhaust the IP addresses from the assigned local pool, which prevents users from logging in and leads to a denial of service (DoS) condition. 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://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ikev2-ebFrwMPr 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.
A vulnerability in the Internet Key Exchange Version 2 (IKEv2) support for the AutoReconnect feature of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to exhaust the free IP addresses from the assigned local pool.
This vulnerability occurs because the code does not release the allocated IP address under certain failure conditions. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by trying to connect to the device with a non-AnyConnect client. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to exhaust the IP addresses from the assigned local pool, which prevents users from logging in and leads to a denial of service (DoS) condition.
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://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ikev2-ebFrwMPr
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.
This vulnerability affects Cisco devices if they are running a vulnerable release of Cisco IOS or IOS XE Software and have the IKEv2 AutoReconnect feature enabled.
The IKEv2 AutoReconnect feature is not enabled by default.
For information about which Cisco software releases are vulnerable, see the Fixed Software section of this advisory.
To determine whether the IKEv2 AutoReconnect feature is enabled, use the show running-config | include ^ reconnect command that is available under the crypto IKEv2 profile. If the command returns output, the device is affected by this vulnerability. Empty output indicates that the IKEv2 AutoReconnect feature is not enabled and the device is not affected by this vulnerability.
The following example shows output for a device that is configured with the IKEv2 AutoReconnect feature enabled:
Vulmon
Router#show running-config | include ^ reconnect
reconnect timeout 1800
Router#
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:
There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.
The only way to recover the IP pool involves a device reload. To mitigate this vulnerability, an administrator can remove the reconnect timeout command that is available under the crypto IKEv2 profile and reload the device. This action will recover any consumed IP addresses from the IP pool and prevent the vulnerability from being exploited until an upgrade can be performed. The administrator can restore the reconnect timeout command to the configuration after the upgrade.
While this mitigation has been deployed and was proven successful in a test environment, customers should determine the applicability and effectiveness in their own environment and under their own use conditions. Customers should be aware that any workaround or mitigation that is implemented may negatively impact the functionality or performance of their network based on intrinsic customer deployment scenarios and limitations. Customers should not deploy any workarounds or mitigations before first evaluating the applicability to their own environment and any impact to such environment.
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:
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.
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 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.
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:
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.
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.
This vulnerability was found during the resolution of a Cisco TAC support case.
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.
| Version | Description | Section | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Initial public release. | - | Final | 2021-SEP-22 |
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