CVE-2021-34737
mediumpriority · track · 30EPSS 0.013 · 71 %ileEURUUSEPSS · scored 2026-10-27
A vulnerability in the DHCP version 4 (DHCPv4) server feature of Cisco IOS XR Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to trigger a crash of the dhcpd process, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability exists because certain DHCPv4 messages are improperly validated when they are processed by an affected device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a malformed DHCPv4 message to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a NULL pointer dereference, resulting in a crash of the dhcpd process. While the dhcpd process is restarting, which may take up to approximately two minutes, DHCPv4 server services are unavailable on the affected device. This could temporarily prevent network access to clients that join the network during that time period. Note: Only the dhcpd process crashes and eventually restarts automatically. The router does not reload.
remediations
Vendor fix, mitigation, or workaround guidance, as published by each source.
A vendor fix is available.
- FixedCisco IOS XR Softwarecisco_csaf
Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability.
https://software.cisco.com
cvss
Technical severity, 0–10. One row per scoring source.
base score 0–10 · higher = more severe · hover a vector to decode⚠ sources disagree · medium–high · 5–7.5
ssvc
A stakeholder decision — act, attend, or track — from exploitation and impact.
weaknesses
The CWE weakness classes this flaw belongs to.
affected products (7)
Products and version ranges known to be affected.
advisories (1)
Vendor and ecosystem advisories describing this.
- cisco-sa-iosxr-dhcp-dos-pjPVReLUCisco IOS XR Software DHCP Version 4 Server Denial of Service Vulnerability2021-09-08csaf · cisco_csafUS
A vulnerability in the DHCP version 4 (DHCPv4) server feature of Cisco IOS XR Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to trigger a crash of the dhcpd process, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability exists because certain DHCPv4 messages are improperly validated when they are processed by an affected device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a malformed DHCPv4 message to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a NULL pointer dereference, resulting in a crash of the dhcpd process. While the dhcpd process is restarting, which may take up to approximately two minutes, DHCPv4 server services are unavailable on the affected device. This could temporarily prevent network access to clients that join the network during that time period. Note: Only the dhcpd process crashes and eventually restarts automatically. The router does not reload. Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability. This advisory is part of the September 2021 release of the Cisco IOS XR Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication. For a complete list of the advisories and links to them, see Cisco Event Response: September 2021 Cisco IOS XR Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication ["https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/viewErp.x?alertId=ERP-74637"].
also known as (4)
Other names and identifiers for this entity.
sources
Which sources assert this record, and when.
references (10)
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34737cnnvd
- https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxr-dhcp-dos-pjPVReLUcnnvd
- https://vigilance.fr/vulnerability/Cisco-IOS-XR-denial-of-service-via-DHCP-Version-4-Server-36354cnnvd
- https://www.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ESB-2021.3022.2cnnvd
- https://www.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ESB-2021.3022.3cnnvd
- https://www.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ESB-2021.3022.4cnnvd
- https://www.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ESB-2021.3022.5cnnvd
- https://www.cybersecurity-help.cz/vdb/SB2021090914cnnvd
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