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CVE-2009-5038

7.8 · HIGH

Cisco IOS before 15.0(1)XA does not properly handle IRC traffic during a specific time period after an initial reload, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device reload) via…

Published Jan 7, 2011ciscoCWE-20EPSS 3.18%

Overview

CVE-2009-5038 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting cisco ios. It was published on January 7, 2011 and has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 7.8, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

Technical description

Cisco IOS before 15.0(1)XA does not properly handle IRC traffic during a specific time period after an initial reload, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device reload) via an attempted connection to a certain IRC server, related to a "corrupted magic value," aka Bug ID CSCso05336.

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from cisco. Update ios to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Affected products

VendorProductVersionsStatus
ciscoios>= 0, < 15.0\(1\)xaAffected

References

Refwww.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/15_0/15_0x/15_01_XA/rn800xa.pdfRefwww.securityfocus.com/bid/45764Refexchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/64682Refwww.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/15_0/15_0x/15_01_XA/rn800xa.pdfRefwww.securityfocus.com/bid/45764Refexchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/64682

How CyberStrike helps

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2009-5038?

CVE-2009-5038 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting cisco ios. It was published on January 7, 2011 and has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2009-5038?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 7.8, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2009-5038?

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from cisco. Update ios to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2009-5038?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2009-5038 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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