Resource management flaw in Cisco StarOS IPsec Manager
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · Low
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.0 · NVD. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
A vulnerability in the IPsec Manager of Cisco StarOS for Cisco Aggregation Services Router (ASR) 5000 Series Routers and Virtualized Packet Core (VPC) System Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to terminate all active IPsec VPN tunnels and prevent new tunnels from being established, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to improper processing of corrupted Internet Key Exchange Version 2 (IKEv2) messages. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted IKEv2 messages toward an affected router. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the ipsecmgr service to reload. A reload of this service could cause all IPsec VPN tunnels to be terminated and prevent new tunnels from being established until the service has restarted, resulting in a DoS condition. This vulnerability affects the following Cisco products when they are running Cisco StarOS: Cisco Aggregation Services Router (ASR) 5000 Series Routers, Virtualized Packet Core (VPC) System Software. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCve29605.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Cisco StarOS IPsec Manager | Cisco StarOS IPsec Manager | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- Cisco StarOS IPsec Manager Vendor— Affected Cisco StarOS IPsec Manager Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 8
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros:19.4.2.65120:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 19.4.2.65120 | Vulnerable | Cisco |
| cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros:19.6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 19.6.0 | Vulnerable | Cisco |
| cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros:21.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 21.2.0 | Vulnerable | Cisco |
| cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros:21.2.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 21.2.6 | Vulnerable | Cisco |
| cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros:21.4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 21.4.0 | Vulnerable | Cisco |
| cpe:2.3:h:cisco:asr_5000:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Running on | Cisco |
| cpe:2.3:h:cisco:asr_5500:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Running on | Cisco |
| cpe:2.3:h:cisco:asr_5700:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Running on | Cisco |
- cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros:19.4.2.65120:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 19.4.2.65120 Vulnerable ·Cisco
- cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros:19.6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 19.6.0 Vulnerable ·Cisco
- cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros:21.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 21.2.0 Vulnerable ·Cisco
- cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros:21.2.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 21.2.6 Vulnerable ·Cisco
- cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros:21.4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 21.4.0 Vulnerable ·Cisco
- cpe:2.3:h:cisco:asr_5000:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Running on ·Cisco
- cpe:2.3:h:cisco:asr_5500:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Running on ·Cisco
- cpe:2.3:h:cisco:asr_5700:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Running on ·Cisco
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2018-0273
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-vx8f-xw5m-52fj
References
More Cisco Staros vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-23504 Erlang/OTP SSH Vulnerable to Pre-Authentication RCE KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2019-01491 Cisco StarOS Denial of Service Vulnerability CVSS 3.0HIGH 8.6
- TI-2018-00328 Improper input validation in Cisco StarOS unknown CVSS 3.0HIGH 8.6
- TI-2021-01080 Cisco StarOS IPv4 Denial of Service Vulnerability CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.6
- TI-2018-00201 Improper input validation in Cisco StarOS CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2021-01105 Cisco StarOS Denial of Service Vulnerability CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
Sources
- CVE-2018-0273 · CVE Program
- CVE-2018-0273 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-vx8f-xw5m-52fj · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences