CVE-2005-4215
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedMotorola SB5100E Cable Modem allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device crash) via an IP packet with the same source and destination IPs and ports, and with the SYN flag set (aka LAND).
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe Motorola SB5100E Cable Modem contains a vulnerability in its TCP/IP stack that allows remote attackers to crash the device by sending a crafted IP packet with identical source and destination IP addresses and ports, with the SYN flag set. This is a classic LAND attack that exploits improper handling of packets with matching source and destination endpoints, causing the device to enter an infinite loop or crash.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= sb5100eCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify the cable modem modelLog into the cable modem web interface or check the device label to confirm the exact model number is SB5100EAffected if The model number matches SB5100E exactly
-
Check the firmware versionAccess the modem's administration interface and navigate to the status or firmware information page to record the installed firmware versionAffected if The firmware version cannot be verified as patched or is confirmed as the original 2005-era firmware
-
Verify network exposureDetermine if the cable modem management interface (typically on the WAN/CMTS facing IP) is accessible from untrusted networks or the internetAffected if The modem's IP interface is directly exposed to external networks without intervening firewall protection
-
Monitor for LAND attack packetsUse a network sniffer or firewall logs on the upstream interface to capture and inspect inbound packets where source IP equals destination IP with SYN flag setAffected if LAND-type packets (identical source/destination IP and port with SYN flag) are observed entering the network destined for the modem
-
Check for device crashes or instabilityObserve whether the cable modem reboots spontaneously, loses connectivity, or becomes unresponsive after network traffic anomaliesAffected if The device exhibits unexplained crashes, frequent reboots, or hangs that correlate with potential attack traffic
A user is affected if they own an SB5100E cable modem with potentially unpatched firmware that is exposed to network traffic where LAND attack packets could be sent to the device.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataSince this is an embedded device vulnerability requiring a firmware fix from Motorola, organizations should first check if a firmware update is available from the vendor. If no update exists (likely for a 2005-era device), network-level protections such as filtering anomalous packets at upstream network devices or firewalls should be deployed to block LAND-type attacks before they reach the affected device.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2005-4215 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2005-4215 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data