Re: [Full-disclosure] Should nmap cause a DoS on cisco routers?

["Dobbins, Roland" <rdobbins@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Jul 2, 2010, at 5:59 PM, Thierry Zoller wrote:

> If   it   is   a  default  configuration  and you can remotely cause a
> denial of service condition  :  it  is a vulnerability.
> 
> If   it   is   a non standard configuration  and you can remotely cause a
> denial of service condition  :  it  is a vulnerability.


If the DoS is volumetric in nature - i.e., causing lots of packets to be punted 
to the RP, thus overwhelming the processing of the device and causing it to 
drop control-plane traffic - that's not a vulnerability, in the classic sense 
(i.e., a code-based exploit of some kind), especially given that it can be 
mitigated via BCPs.  

Otherwise, you'd classify any and all DDoS as vulnerabilities, too - and while 
many of them are in fact *architectural* or *design* flaws, they're still not 
vulnerabilities in the sense that most of the people on this list use the term.

Having spent a great deal of time concentrating on the 'A' part of the C-I-A 
triad, I agree with you 100% that A is as important (more important, in my 
estimation) than the other legs of the triad; but running around claiming that 
there's some 'vulnerability' which must be patched, when a) we don't know that 
for a fact, b) it seems rather unlikely, given past experience and the symptoms 
reported, and c) exhibiting some bizarre antipathy towards implementing 
industry BCPs doesn't really help, very much.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Roland Dobbins <rdobbins@xxxxxxxxx> // <http://www.arbornetworks.com>

    Injustice is relatively easy to bear; what stings is justice.

                        -- H.L. Mencken



_______________________________________________
Full-Disclosure - We believe in it.
Charter: http://lists.grok.org.uk/full-disclosure-charter.html
Hosted and sponsored by Secunia - http://secunia.com/