CVE-2021-1588 : Security Advisory and Response

A vulnerability in the MPLS Operation, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) feature of Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device.

Understanding CVE-2021-1588

This CVE-2021-1588 vulnerability affects Cisco NX-OS Software and can be exploited to trigger a denial of service condition on vulnerable devices.

What is CVE-2021-1588?

The vulnerability in the MPLS OAM feature of Cisco NX-OS Software allows an attacker to crash the MPLS OAM process through malicious MPLS echo-request or echo-reply packets, leading to device reloads and DoS.

The Impact of CVE-2021-1588

With a CVSS base score of 8.6 (High), this vulnerability poses a significant risk by enabling remote attackers to disrupt services and cause device unavailability.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-1588

This section outlines the specifics of the vulnerability, affected systems, versions, and the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

Improper input validation in processing MPLS echo-request or echo-reply packets leads to crashes in the MPLS OAM process upon exploitation by an attacker.

Affected Systems and Versions

Affected systems include Cisco NX-OS Software with MPLS forwarding enabled, version specifics are not provided.

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by sending malicious MPLS echo-request or echo-reply packets to interfaces enabled for MPLS forwarding on affected devices.

Mitigation and Prevention

To secure systems against CVE-2021-1588, immediate steps, long-term security practices, and the importance of patching and updates are highlighted.

Immediate Steps to Take

Immediately disable MPLS OAM feature if not required, implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regular security audits, employee awareness programs, and timely security patches contribute to a strong cybersecurity posture.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches or updates provided by Cisco to address this vulnerability and enhance system security.