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Unified Communications ManagerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2011-2560

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-08-29
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
87/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
The Packet Capture Service in Cisco Unified Communications Manager (aka CUCM, formerly CallManager) 4.x does not properly handle idle TCP connections, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption and restart) by making many connections, aka Bug ID CSCtf97162.

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 · moderate confidence

The Packet Capture Service in Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) 4.x fails to properly handle idle TCP connections. Remote attackers can cause memory exhaustion by establishing numerous connections, leading to service restart and denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched CUCM version or apply the Cisco security update for Bug ID CSCtf97162. Consider network segmentation to limit exposure of the Packet Capture Service to untrusted networks.

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
Unified Communications ManagerApplication
Affected:= 4.1\(3\)= 4.1\(3\)sr1= 4.1\(3\)sr2= 4.1\(3\)sr3= 4.1\(3\)sr4= 4.2= 4.2.1= 4.2.2= 4.2.3= 4.2.3sr1= 4.2.3sr2= 4.2.3sr2b

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed CUCM version
    Access the CUCM admin console or run 'show version' via CLI to determine the exact CUCM version number
    Affected if The installed version matches any of: 4.1(3), 4.1(3)sr1, 4.1(3)sr2, 4.1(3)sr3, 4.1(3)sr4, 4.2, 4.2.1, 4.2.2, 4.2.3, 4.2.3sr1, 4.2.3sr2, or 4.2.3sr2b
  2. Verify Packet Capture Service status
    Check if the Packet Capture Service (CDR Repository Manager or related service) is enabled and running via the CUCM Serviceability page or CLI command 'show service'
    Affected if The Packet Capture Service is enabled and actively running on the system
  3. Inspect TCP connections to Packet Capture Service
    Use 'netstat' or 'show connections' command to list all TCP connections on ports typically used by the Packet Capture Service (port 2555 or as configured)
    Affected if A large number of idle TCP connections are established and accumulating over time
  4. Monitor memory consumption
    Check system memory usage via CLI 'show memory' or CUCM RTMT (Real Time Monitoring Tool) to identify unusual memory growth
    Affected if Memory usage is steadily increasing or approaching exhaustion without normal cause
  5. Review service restart logs
    Examine Cisco Unified Communications Manager logs via RTMT or CLI 'file list' for frequent service restarts, especially for the Packet Capture or CDR Repository service
    Affected if The Packet Capture Service is experiencing repeated unexpected restarts

You are affected if your CUCM version is 4.1(3) through 4.2.3sr2b AND the Packet Capture Service is enabled, with observable idle TCP connections accumulating or causing service instability.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to a patched CUCM version or apply the Cisco security update for Bug ID CSCtf97162. Consider network segmentation to limit exposure of the Packet Capture Service to untrusted networks.

Fix this in Unified Communications Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-2560 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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