Cisco Unified IP Phone Local Kernel System Call Input Validation Vulnerability

Advisory ID: cisco-sa-20130109-uipphone

Revision 1.1

Last Updated  2013 January 17 15:16  UTC (GMT)
For Public Release 2013 January 9 16:00  UTC (GMT)
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Summary
=======

Cisco Unified IP Phones 7900 Series versions 9.3(1)SR1 and prior
contain an arbitrary code execution vulnerability that could allow a
local attacker to execute code or modify arbitrary memory with
elevated privileges.

This vulnerability is due to a failure to properly validate input
passed to kernel system calls from applications running in userspace.
An attacker could exploit this issue by gaining local access to the
device using physical access or authenticated access using SSH and
executing an attacker-controlled binary that is designed to exploit
the issue. Such an attack would originate from an unprivileged
context.

Ang Cui initially reported the issue to the Cisco Product Security
Incident Response Team (PSIRT). On November 6, 2012, the Cisco PSIRT
disclosed this issue in Cisco bug ID CSCuc83860 Release Note
Enclosure. Subsequently, Mr. Cui has spoken at several public
conferences and has performed public demonstrations of a device being
compromised and used as a listening device.

Mitigations are available to help reduce the attack surface of
affected devices. See the "Details" section of this security advisory
and the accompanying Cisco Applied Mitigation Bulletin (AMB) for
additional information.

Update: An Engineering Special release has been made available for
affected Cisco Customers that includes hardening measures to mitigate
the known attack vectors for the vulnerability described in this
advisory. This release is available upon request from the Cisco TAC.
The release name is 9.3(1)-ES11.

This advisory is available at the following link:
http://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-2013010
9-uipphone

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