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Intrusion Prevention SystemApplication · Cisco

CVE-2012-3899

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-09-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
sensorApp on Cisco IPS 4200 series sensors 6.0, 6.2, and 7.0 does not properly allocate memory, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and process crash, and traffic-inspection outage) via network traffic, aka Bug ID CSCtn23051.

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 confidence

The sensorApp component on Cisco IPS 4200 series sensors versions 6.0, 6.2, and 7.0 contains a memory allocation flaw. Remote attackers can send specially crafted network traffic to trigger improper memory handling, resulting in memory corruption, process crash, and a complete traffic-inspection outage.

MitigationApply the Cisco patch for Bug ID CSCtn23051, which involves upgrading to a fixed IPS software version. Schedule maintenance windows to minimize disruption and verify sensor functionality after applying the update.

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
Intrusion Prevention SystemApplication
Affected:= 6.0= 6.2= 7.0
Ips 4240Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Ips 4250 SxHardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Ips 4255Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Ips 4260Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Ips 4270 20Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions

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
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P

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 your Cisco IPS sensor model
    Log into the sensor CLI and run 'show version' or check the hardware label to confirm the model number (e.g., IPS 4240, IPS 4250, IPS 4260)
    Affected if The model is any of: 4240, 4250 Sx, 4255, 4260, or 4270 20 (all versions are affected)
  2. Check the installed IPS software version
    From the sensor CLI, run 'show version' and locate the software version number (e.g., 6.0, 6.2, 7.0)
    Affected if The version is 6.0, 6.2, or 7.0 exactly, or any version on models 4240, 4250 Sx, 4255, 4260, 4270 20
  3. Verify the sensorApp component is active
    From the sensor CLI, run 'show process' or 'show module' to confirm the sensorApp process is running
    Affected if sensorApp is running and processing traffic (the flaw triggers when this component handles specially crafted packets)
  4. Confirm remote access is enabled on the sensor
    Check the sensor interface configuration with 'show interface' and verify management access settings with 'show running-config' for any externally accessible interfaces
    Affected if The sensor has an active data or management interface accepting network traffic from untrusted networks (this is required for remote attackers to send the malicious packets)

You are affected if you run any Cisco IPS 4200 series sensor (especially models 4240, 4250 Sx, 4255, 4260, 4270 20) on software versions 6.0, 6.2, or 7.0, or any version on those specific models, and the sensorApp component is actively processing network traffic.

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

Apply the Cisco patch for Bug ID CSCtn23051, which involves upgrading to a fixed IPS software version. Schedule maintenance windows to minimize disruption and verify sensor functionality after applying the update.

Fix this in Intrusion Prevention System Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,330
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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-2012-3899 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
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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