A vulnerability in the detection engine of Cisco Firepower System Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass a configured Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) rule that inspects certain types of TCP traffic. The vulnerability is due to incorrect TCP retransmission handling. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted TCP connection request through an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass configured IPS rules and allow uninspected traffic onto the network.
The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firepower_system_software | Cisco | - (including) | - (including) |
Mitigation of resource exhaustion attacks requires that the target system either:
The first of these solutions is an issue in itself though, since it may allow attackers to prevent the use of the system by a particular valid user. If the attacker impersonates the valid user, they may be able to prevent the user from accessing the server in question.
The second solution is simply difficult to effectively institute – and even when properly done, it does not provide a full solution. It simply makes the attack require more resources on the part of the attacker.