A vulnerability in the implementation of the Short Message Service (SMS) handling functionality of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to trigger a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper processing of SMS protocol data units (PDUs) that are encoded with a special character set. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a malicious SMS message to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the wireless WAN (WWAN) cellular interface module on an affected device to crash, resulting in a DoS condition that would require manual intervention to restore normal operating conditions.
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 2 products from cisco, from cisco organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
First disclosed in 2019, 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.
2019-03-28T00:29:00.623
2024-11-21T04:37:16.173
Modified
CVSSv3.1: 8.6 (HIGH)
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
10.0
2.9
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating System | cisco | ios | 15.8\(3\)m | Yes |
| Operating System | cisco | ios_xe | 16.10.1 | Yes |
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.