A vulnerability with the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Fabric Switches in Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) mode could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a routing process to crash, which could lead to a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability is due to an issue with the installation of routes upon receipt of a BGP update. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted BGP update to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the routing process to crash, which could cause the device to reload. This vulnerability applies to both Internal BGP (IBGP) and External BGP (EBGP). Note: The Cisco implementation of BGP accepts incoming BGP traffic from explicitly configured peers only. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need to send a specific BGP update message over an established TCP connection that appears to come from a trusted BGP peer. 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-n9kaci-bgp-De9dPKSK This advisory is part of the February 2021 Cisco FXOS and NX-OS Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication. For a complete list of the advisories and links to them, see Cisco Event Response: February 2021 Cisco FXOS and NX-OS Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication.
A vulnerability with the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Fabric Switches in Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) mode could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a routing process to crash, which could lead to a denial of service (DoS) condition.
This vulnerability is due to an issue with the installation of routes upon receipt of a BGP update. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted BGP update to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the routing process to crash, which could cause the device to reload. This vulnerability applies to both Internal BGP (IBGP) and External BGP (EBGP).
Note: The Cisco implementation of BGP accepts incoming BGP traffic from explicitly configured peers only. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need to send a specific BGP update message over an established TCP connection that appears to come from a trusted BGP peer.
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-n9kaci-bgp-De9dPKSK
This advisory is part of the February 2021 Cisco FXOS and NX-OS Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication. For a complete list of the advisories and links to them, see Cisco Event Response: February 2021 Cisco FXOS and NX-OS Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication.
This vulnerability affects Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Fabric Switches in ACI mode if they are configured for BGP.
For information about which Cisco software releases are vulnerable, see the Fixed Software section of this advisory.
To determine whether a Nexus device is configured with BGP and a BGP neighbor, use the show bgp sessions vrf all command. If one or more BGP peers is returned, then the device should be considered vulnerable.
Router# show bgp sessions vrf all
Total peers 2, established peers 2
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.
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 NX-OS Software, Cisco provides the Cisco Software Checker to identify any Cisco Security Advisories that impact a specific Cisco NX-OS Software release and the earliest release that fixes the vulnerabilities that are 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 or one or more specific advisories.
Customers can also use the following form to determine whether a release is affected by any Cisco Security Advisory by choosing the Cisco NX-OS Software and platform and then entering a release-for example, 7.0(3)I7(5) for Cisco Nexus 3000 Series Switches or 14.0(1h) for Cisco NX-OS Software in ACI mode:
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 and check the Medium check box in the drop-down list under Impact Rating when customizing a search.
For help determining the best Cisco NX-OS Software release for a Cisco Nexus Switch, see the following Recommended Releases documents. If a security advisory recommends a later release, Cisco recommends following the advisory guidance.
Cisco MDS Series Switches
Cisco Nexus 1000V for VMware Switch
Cisco Nexus 3000 Series Switches
Cisco Nexus 5500 Platform Switches
Cisco Nexus 5600 Platform Switches
Cisco Nexus 6000 Series Switches
Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches
Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches
Cisco Nexus 9000 Series ACI-Mode Switches
To determine the best release for Cisco UCS Software, see the Recommended Releases documents in the release notes for the device.
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-FEB-24 |
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