Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software Smart Install Denial of Service Vulnerability

The Smart Install client feature in Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software contains a vulnerability that could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to incorrect handling of image list parameters. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted Smart Install packets to TCP port 4786. A successful exploit could cause a Cisco Catalyst switch to reload, resulting in a DoS condition. Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability other than disabling Smart Install functionality on the vulnerable device. This advisory is part of the March 23, 2016, release of the Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication, which includes six Cisco Security Advisories that describe six vulnerabilities. All the vulnerabilities have a Security Impact Rating of `High.` For a complete list of advisories and links to them, see Cisco Event Response: Semiannual Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication.

Checks if a vulnerable version is present on the target host.

See the referenced vendor advisory for a solution.