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Ir800 Integrated Services Router FirmwareOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2017-12223

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-09-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
A vulnerability in the ROM Monitor (ROMMON) code of Cisco IR800 Integrated Services Router Software could allow an unauthenticated, local attacker to boot an unsigned Hypervisor on an affected device and compromise the integrity of the system. The vulnerability is due to insufficient sanitization of user input. An attacker who can access an affected router via the console could exploit this vulnerability by entering ROMMON mode and modifying ROMMON variables. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code and install a malicious version of Hypervisor firmware on an affected device. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvb44027.

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

A vulnerability in the ROM Monitor (ROMMON) firmware of Cisco IR800 Integrated Services Routers allows an unauthenticated attacker with console access to modify ROMMON variables and boot an unsigned Hypervisor. This enables arbitrary code execution and installation of malicious firmware, compromising system integrity. The root cause is insufficient input sanitization in ROMMON.

MitigationRestrict physical and console access to affected devices. Apply Cisco firmware updates when available. Monitor for unauthorized ROMMON access attempts.

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
Ir800 Integrated Services Router FirmwareOperating system
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
Physical
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 device model
    Connect to the device console or use 'show version' command to confirm the hardware model is Cisco IR800 Integrated Services Router
    Affected if The device model is Cisco IR800 series router
  2. Check for console access exposure
    Review physical security controls and network access lists to determine if console/Telnet/SSH access to the device is accessible to unauthorized users
    Affected if Console port is physically accessible or network-based console access is exposed without proper authentication controls
  3. Inspect ROMMON variables
    During device boot, press the ROMMON break key (typically Ctrl+Break or Ctrl+C) to enter ROMMON mode, then use 'set' or 'env' command to list current ROMMON environment variables
    Affected if ROMMON can be entered without authentication and variables can be modified freely
  4. Verify hypervisor boot configuration
    In ROMMON mode, check boot variables using 'set' command to see if 'BOOT' or 'hypervisor' variables point to unsigned or modified image files
    Affected if Boot variables reference unsigned images or show unexpected values indicating modification
  5. Check for unexpected firmware images
    Use 'show flash' or 'dir flash:' command to list all firmware/hypervisor images stored on the device filesystem
    Affected if Unknown or unsigned firmware images are present in flash memory that were not installed by administrators

A Cisco IR800 router with accessible console ports where ROMMON can be entered without authentication and boot variables can be modified is affected by this vulnerability.

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

Restrict physical and console access to affected devices. Apply Cisco firmware updates when available. Monitor for unauthorized ROMMON access attempts.

Fix this in Ir800 Integrated Services Router Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2017-12223 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