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Asa 5500 X Series Ips Ssp SoftwareApplication · Cisco

CVE-2013-1218

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-07-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.1 or later.
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
Cisco Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) Software in ASA 5500-X IPS-SSP software modules before 7.1(7)sp1E4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (Analysis Engine process hang or device reload) via fragmented (1) IPv4 or (2) IPv6 packets, aka Bug ID CSCue51272.

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

Cisco Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) Software in ASA 5500-X IPS-SSP modules before version 7.1(7)sp1E4 contains a denial of service vulnerability in the Analysis Engine. Remote attackers can trigger device reload or process hang by sending specially crafted fragmented IPv4 or IPv6 packets to the affected device.

MitigationUpgrade Cisco IPS Software to version 7.1(7)sp1E4 or later to remediate this vulnerability. If immediate patching is not possible, consider network segmentation to limit exposure 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
Asa 5500 X Series Ips Ssp SoftwareApplication
Affected:= 7.1
Intrusion Prevention SystemApplication
Affected:<= 7.1
Asa 5585 XHardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Idsm 2Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Ips 4345 SensorHardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Ips 4360 SensorHardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Ips 4510 SensorHardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Ips 4520 SensorHardware / 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
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 the IPS device model
    Log into the device CLI and run 'show version' or 'show hardware' to identify the exact model (e.g., ASA 5500-X IPS-SSP, IPS 4345, IPS 4510, IDSM-2, etc.)
    Affected if The device is a Cisco ASA 5500-X IPS-SSP, Cisco ASA 5585-X, Cisco IDSM-2, or Cisco IPS 4345/4360/4510/4520 sensor - all of which are listed as affected products
  2. Check the installed IPS software version
    Run 'show version' in the device CLI to display the installed software version. Look for a version number in the format 7.x
    Affected if The version is 7.1 or lower, or for ASA 5500-X specifically versions below 7.1(7)sp1E4
  3. Verify the Analysis Engine is active
    Run 'show module' or 'show engine' command to confirm the Analysis Engine component is loaded and running. This is the specific component with the vulnerability
    Affected if The Analysis Engine is present and active - this is the vulnerable component that processes incoming packets
  4. Confirm network exposure to fragmented packets
    Review the interface configuration with 'show run' or 'show interface' to determine if the IPS sensor is directly exposed to untrusted/public networks. The attack requires receiving specially crafted fragmented IPv4 or IPv6 packets
    Affected if The device has interfaces accepting traffic from untrusted networks where attackers could send malicious fragmented packets

The environment is affected if the device is one of the listed Cisco IPS models running software version 7.1 or lower (or below 7.1(7)sp1E4 for ASA 5500-X), the Analysis Engine is active, and the device is exposed to untrusted networks capable of delivering fragmented IPv4/IPv6 packets.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 7.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Cisco IPS Software to version 7.1(7)sp1E4 or later to remediate this vulnerability. If immediate patching is not possible, consider network segmentation to limit exposure to untrusted networks.

Fix this in Asa 5500 X Series Ips Ssp Software Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,970
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,152.

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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-2013-1218 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data