📄 Description (English)
Cisco IOS XR Software DVMRP Memory Exhaustion Vulnerability — Cisco IOS XR Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol (DVMRP) incorrectly handles Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) packets. Exploitation could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to immediately crash the IGMP process or make it consume available memory and eventually crash.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
A critical memory exhaustion vulnerability in Cisco IOS XR DVMRP allows unauthenticated remote attackers to crash the IGMP process or exhaust system memory through malformed IGMP packets. With a CVSS score of 9.0 and publicly available exploits, this poses immediate denial-of-service risk to network infrastructure. Patching is urgent for all affected Cisco IOS XR deployments.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 19, 2026 09:37
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
Critical impact on Saudi telecommunications infrastructure (STC, Mobily, Zain) and government networks (NCA, CITC) that rely on Cisco IOS XR for core routing and multicast services. Banking sector (SAMA-regulated institutions) dependent on reliable network infrastructure for transaction processing faces service disruption risk. Energy sector (ARAMCO, SEC) multicast-dependent SCADA networks vulnerable to DoS attacks. ISPs and data centers hosting critical Saudi services are at highest risk.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Telecommunications (STC, Mobily, Zain)
Government (NCA, CITC, Ministry of Interior)
Banking (SAMA-regulated institutions)
Energy (ARAMCO, SEC)
Healthcare (MOH facilities with network infrastructure)
Data Centers and ISPs
Critical Infrastructure
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
9.2
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Identify all Cisco IOS XR devices in your network using 'show version' command
2. Check affected versions: IOS XR 5.x, 6.x, 7.x (verify specific version ranges from Cisco advisory)
3. Implement network segmentation to restrict IGMP traffic sources
4. Enable IGMP snooping and rate-limiting on switches
5. Monitor IGMP process CPU and memory usage via 'show processes memory' and 'show processes cpu'
PATCHING GUIDANCE:
1. Download latest IOS XR patches from Cisco Security Center immediately
2. Schedule maintenance window for router updates (coordinate with CITC/NCA if government entity)
3. Test patches in lab environment before production deployment
4. Apply patches starting with edge routers, then core infrastructure
5. Verify IGMP functionality post-patch with 'show igmp groups' and 'show igmp interface'
COMPENSATING CONTROLS (if patching delayed):
1. Implement access control lists (ACLs) to restrict IGMP sources to trusted networks
2. Configure IGMP query interval limits and maximum group membership
3. Deploy IGMP snooping with rate-limiting on all switches
4. Enable NetFlow/sFlow monitoring for IGMP traffic anomalies
5. Set up automated alerts for IGMP process crashes via syslog monitoring
DETECTION RULES:
1. Monitor for repeated IGMP process restarts: 'show processes | include IGMP'
2. Alert on memory utilization spikes above 80% on routing processes
3. Track IGMP packet rate anomalies (baseline normal traffic, alert on 10x increase)
4. Log all IGMP group join/leave events for forensic analysis
5. Implement IDS signatures for malformed IGMP packet patterns
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحديد جميع أجهزة Cisco IOS XR في شبكتك باستخدام أمر 'show version'
2. التحقق من الإصدارات المتأثرة: IOS XR 5.x و 6.x و 7.x (تحقق من نطاقات الإصدار المحددة من استشارة Cisco)
3. تنفيذ تقسيم الشبكة لتقييد مصادر حركة IGMP
4. تفعيل IGMP snooping وتحديد معدل على المحاولات
5. مراقبة استخدام CPU والذاكرة لعملية IGMP عبر 'show processes memory' و 'show processes cpu'
إرشادات التصحيح:
1. تحميل أحدث تصحيحات IOS XR من Cisco Security Center فوراً
2. جدولة نافذة صيانة لتحديثات الموجهات (التنسيق مع CITC/NCA إذا كانت جهة حكومية)
3. اختبار التصحيحات في بيئة المختبر قبل نشر الإنتاج
4. تطبيق التصحيحات بدءاً من موجهات الحافة ثم البنية الأساسية
5. التحقق من وظيفة IGMP بعد التصحيح باستخدام 'show igmp groups' و 'show igmp interface'
الضوابط البديلة (إذا تأخر التصحيح):
1. تنفيذ قوائم التحكم في الوصول (ACLs) لتقييد مصادر IGMP للشبكات الموثوقة
2. تكوين حدود فترة استعلام IGMP وعضوية المجموعة القصوى
3. نشر IGMP snooping مع تحديد معدل على جميع المحاولات
4. تفعيل مراقبة NetFlow/sFlow لشذوذ حركة IGMP
5. إعداد تنبيهات آلية لأعطال عملية IGMP عبر مراقبة syslog
قواعد الكشف:
1. مراقبة إعادة تشغيل عملية IGMP المتكررة: 'show processes | include IGMP'
2. تنبيه على ارتفاع استخدام الذاكرة فوق 80% على عمليات التوجيه
3. تتبع شذوذ معدل حزم IGMP (خط أساس حركة عادية، تنبيه على زيادة 10x)
4. تسجيل جميع أحداث انضمام/مغادرة مجموعة IGMP للتحليل الجنائي
5. تنفيذ توقيعات IDS لأنماط حزم IGMP المشوهة
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.12.6.1 - Management of technical vulnerabilities
ECC 2024 A.12.2.1 - Change management procedures
ECC 2024 A.14.2.1 - Secure development policy
ECC 2024 A.12.1.2 - Monitoring and logging of access
🔵 SAMA CSF
ID.RA-1 - Asset management and vulnerability identification
PR.IP-12 - Security patches and updates
DE.CM-8 - Malicious code detection
RS.MI-2 - Incident response and recovery
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
A.12.3.1 - Segregation of development, test and production environments
A.12.6.1 - Management of technical vulnerabilities
A.14.2.1 - Secure development policy
A.12.2.1 - Change management
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0
Requirement 6.2 - Security patches and updates
Requirement 11.2 - Vulnerability scanning
🔗 References & Sources 0
No references.
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
Cisco:IOS XR