CVE-2019-12676 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

A vulnerability in Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software allows an unauthenticated attacker to trigger a denial of service (DoS) condition by sending a specially crafted Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) packet.

Understanding CVE-2019-12676

This CVE involves a weakness in the OSPF implementation of Cisco ASA Software and FTD Software, leading to a DoS situation.

What is CVE-2019-12676?

The vulnerability in Cisco ASA Software and FTD Software enables an attacker near the affected device to force a restart, causing a DoS scenario by exploiting OSPF LSA type 11 packets.

The Impact of CVE-2019-12676

Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Vector: Adjacent Network
Availability Impact: High
Base Score: 7.4 (High Severity)
Scope: Changed
Vector String: CVSS:3.0/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H

Technical Details of CVE-2019-12676

The vulnerability description, affected systems, exploitation mechanism, and mitigation steps.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from incorrect parsing of OSPF LSA type 11 packets in Cisco ASA Software and FTD Software.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
Vendor: Cisco
Version: Unspecified

Exploitation Mechanism

Exploiting this weakness involves sending a specially crafted LSA type 11 OSPF packet to the affected device.

Mitigation and Prevention

Steps to address and prevent the CVE-2019-12676 vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply vendor patches and updates promptly.
Monitor network traffic for any signs of exploitation.
Restrict network access to critical devices.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch all software and firmware.
Implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential attacks.
Conduct regular security audits and assessments.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that the latest security patches provided by Cisco are applied to affected devices.