[NEWS] LDAP Connection Leak in CTI when User Authentication Fails

From: support@securiteam.com
Date: 03/28/02 

From: support@securiteam.com
To: list@securiteam.com
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 12:59:19 +0100 (CET)

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  LDAP Connection Leak in CTI when User Authentication Fails
------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY

The Cisco CallManager, running certain software releases, has a
vulnerability wherein a memory leak in the CTI Framework authentication
can cause the server to crash and result in a reload. This vulnerability
can be exploited to initiate a denial of service (DoS) attack.

This vulnerability is documented as Cisco bug ID CSCdv28302. There are
workarounds available to mitigate the vulnerability.

DETAILS

Vulnerable systems:
To determine if a product is vulnerable, review the list below. If the
software versions or configuration information are provided, then only
those combinations are vulnerable.

 * Cisco CallManager 3.1
No other Cisco product is known to be affected by this vulnerability.

Details:
A memory leak in the Cisco CallManager has been attributed to the failure
of a user to properly authenticate when using Call Telephony Integration
(CTI). This behavior is most commonly seen on CallManager systems
immediately following the integration with a customer directory such as
Active Directory (AD) or Netscape. The most common cause in this scenario
is that the WebAttendant user, CTI Framework (CTIFW), has not been
configured with a valid password in the customer directory. Please note
that this problem will occur even on systems that do not utilize the
WebAttendant since the Telephony Call Dispatch (TCD) service is always
enabled by default. The CCMAdmin->Global Directory and "Add a New User"
configuration pages stop working if CTIFW user is not configured or the
CTI user's password is incorrect. Various other components such as RIS
Data Collector may also fail to function properly.

Problem Symptoms:
There are several indicators available in determining if this problem is
at the root:

Tool: Event Viewer
Message: "Error: kCtiProviderOpenFailure - CTI application failed to open
provider
CTIconnectionId: 485
Login User Id: CtiFw
ReasonCode: 2362179680
IPAddress: 172.21.12.44
App ID: Cisco CTIManager
Cluster ID: JMTAO-CM2-Cluster
Node ID: JMTAO-CM2
CTI Application ID: Cisco Telephony Call Dispatcher
Process ID: 0
Process Name: CtiHandler
Provider Name: CTI Framework
Explanation: Application is unable to open provider.
Recommended Action: Check the reason code and correct the problem. Restart

CTIManager if problem persists.. "

Tool: Task Manager
Message: "From the Task Manager select the Processes tab, click View and
then Select Columns...
Check Handle Count and click OK.
Click on the Handles column to sort by handles used.
You will observe that the CTIManager.exe is consuming a large number of
handles (> 500)."

Tool: DOS netstat
Message: "Another diagnostic tool is to run "netstat -na" from a DOS
command prompt on the CM server. A very large number of established
connections to TCP port 389 if CallManager is integrated with AD or port
8404 when CallManager is integrated with DCD."

Impact:
The vulnerabilities can be exploited to produce a Denial of Service (DoS)
attack. When the vulnerabilities are exploited, they can cause an affected
Cisco product to crash and reload.

Software Versions and Fixes:
Version Affected: Version 3.1
Fixed Regular Release (available now): Upgrade to 3.1(2)

Obtaining Fixed Software:
Cisco is offering free software upgrades to address this vulnerability for
all affected customers. Customers may only install and expect support for
the feature sets they have purchased.

Customers with service contracts should contact their regular update
channels to obtain any software release containing the feature sets they
have purchased. For most customers with service contracts, this means that
upgrades should be obtained through the Software Center on Cisco's
Worldwide Web site at <http://www.cisco.com> http://www.cisco.com.

Customers whose Cisco products are provided or maintained through a prior
or existing agreement with third-party support organizations such as Cisco
Partners, authorized resellers, or service providers should contact that
support organization for assistance with obtaining the free software
upgrade(s).

Customers who purchased directly from Cisco but who do not hold a Cisco
service contract, and customers who purchase through third party vendors
but are unsuccessful at obtaining fixed software through their point of
sale, should obtain fixed software by contacting the Cisco Technical
Assistance Center (TAC) using the contact information listed below. In
these cases, customers are entitled to obtain an upgrade to a later
version of the same release or as indicated by the applicable row in the
Software Versions and Fixes table (noted above).

Cisco TAC contacts are as follows:
 * +1 800 553 2447 (toll free from within North America)
 * +1 408 526 7209 (toll call from anywhere in the world)
 * e-mail: tac@cisco.com

See <http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/687/Directory/DirTAC.shtml>
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/687/Directory/DirTAC.shtml for additional
TAC contact information, including special localized telephone numbers and
instructions and e-mail addresses for use in various languages.

Please have your product serial number available and give the URL of this
notice as evidence of your entitlement to a free upgrade.

Please do not contact either "psirt@cisco.com" or
"security-alert@cisco.com" for software upgrades.

Workarounds:
Configure the ctifw user by following the instructions at:
 
<http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/c_callmg/3_0/install/ad_3011.htm#xtocid30717> http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/c_callmg/3_0/install/ad_3011.htm#xtocid30717

1) Set the password for the user in the corporate directory using your
standard user management tools.
2) On a Cisco CallManager server, choose Start > Run and enter command to
open a command prompt. Click OK.
3) Enter the command, PasswordUtils; for example, "passwordUtils
my_passphrase"
4) The previous action generates an encrypted password. Copy the password
into the Windows clipboard.
5) Choose Start > Run.
6) Enter regedit into the Open field and then click OK.
7) Browse to \\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Cisco Systems, Inc.\Directory
Configuration within the registry.
8) Delete the value CTIFWPW and paste the encrypted password from Step 3
into the field.
9) Restart the Cisco Telephony Call Dispatcher service by choosing Start >
Programs > Administrative Tools > Services. Highlight the service in the
list; right click on the service and then click Restart from the drop-down
list.
10) Repeat Step 2 through Step 9 for each Cisco CallManager server in the
cluster.

IMPORTANT: Please note that you must reboot the CM server in all cases to
reset the established TCP connections and recover the lost memory.

Alternatively, if you are not using the Cisco WebAttendant and/or the
Cisco Telephony Call Dispatcher Service, set it to "manual" or "disabled"
from the "Services" control panel.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The information has been provided by <mailto:psirt@cisco.com> Cisco
Systems Product Security Incident Response Team.

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