Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2016-9225


A vulnerability in the data plane IP fragment handler of the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) CX Context-Aware Security module could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the CX module to be unable to process further traffic, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to improper handling of IP fragments. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted fragmented IP traffic across the CX module. An exploit could allow the attacker to exhaust free packet buffers in shared memory (SHM), causing the CX module to be unable to process further traffic, resulting in a DoS condition. This vulnerability affects all versions of the ASA CX Context-Aware Security module. Cisco has not released and will not release software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCva62946.


Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.6, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from cisco organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2017, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.


Published

2017-02-01T19:59:00.157

Last Modified

2025-04-20T01:37:25.860

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.0: 8.6 (HIGH)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C

  • Access Vector: NETWORK
  • Access Complexity: LOW
  • Authentication: NONE
  • Confidentiality Impact: NONE
  • Integrity Impact: NONE
  • Availability Impact: COMPLETE
Exploitability Score

10.0

Impact Score

6.9

Weaknesses
  • Type: Secondary
    CWE-399
  • Type: Primary
    CWE-399

Affected Vendors & Products
Type Vendor Product Version/Range Vulnerable?
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.0.1 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.0.1-40 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.0.2 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.0.2-68 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.0_base Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.1.2-29 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.1.2-42 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.1.3-8 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.1.3-10 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.1.3-13 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.2.1-1 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.2.2-1 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.3\(1.1.112\) Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.3.1-1 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.3.2-1 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.3.3.1-13 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.3.4-1 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.3.4-2 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.3.4-3 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.3.4-4 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.3.4-5 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.3.4-6 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.3.4.1.11 Yes
Operating System cisco asa_cx_context-aware_security_software 9.3_base Yes

References

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For cisco's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.