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CVE-2009-5038

Status: ModifiedHigh (7.8)—
Severity7.8High · CVSS 2.0
Exploitation probability3.18 %higher than 88% of CVEs
Active exploitationNonot in the CISA catalog
Public exploitNot knownno public code found

Cisco IOS before 15.0(1)XA does not properly handle IRC traffic during a specific time period after an initial reload, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device reload) via an attempted connection to a certain IRC server, related to a "corrupted magic value," aka Bug ID CSCso05336.

CVSS

Base score
7.8
Version
2.0
Vector
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C

Exploitation probability (EPSS)

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
3.18 %
Percentile among all scored CVEs
88
Score date
10/21/2026

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST) estimates how likely a vulnerability is to be exploited in the wild within 30 days. It complements CVSS (impact) and CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).

Affected technologies (1)

Cisco — IOS

CWEs

References

Show 6 references

Raw JSON (NVD)

Show
{
  "id": "CVE-2009-5038",
  "cveTags": [],
  "metrics": {
    "cvssMetricV2": [
      {
        "type": "Primary",
        "source": "nvd@nist.gov",
        "cvssData": {
          "version": "2.0",
          "baseScore": 7.8,
          "accessVector": "NETWORK",
          "vectorString": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C",
          "authentication": "NONE",
          "integrityImpact": "NONE",
          "accessComplexity": "LOW",
          "availabilityImpact": "COMPLETE",
          "confidentialityImpact": "NONE"
        },
        "acInsufInfo": false,
        "impactScore": 6.9,
        "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
        "obtainAllPrivilege": false,
        "exploitabilityScore": 10,
        "obtainUserPrivilege": false,
        "obtainOtherPrivilege": false,
        "userInteractionRequired": false
      }
    ]
  },
  "affected": [
    {
      "source": "cve@mitre.org",
      "affectedData": [
        {
          "vendor": "n/a",
          "product": "n/a",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "n/a"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "published": "2011-01-07T19:00:02.360",
  "references": [
    {
      "url": "http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/15_0/15_0x/15_01_XA/rn800xa.pdf",
      "tags": [
        "Release Notes",
        "Vendor Advisory"
      ],
      "source": "cve@mitre.org"
    },
    {
      "url": "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/45764",
      "tags": [
        "Third Party Advisory",
        "VDB Entry"
      ],
      "source": "cve@mitre.org"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/64682",
      "tags": [
        "Third Party Advisory",
        "VDB Entry"
      ],
      "source": "cve@mitre.org"
    },
    {
      "url": "http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/15_0/15_0x/15_01_XA/rn800xa.pdf",
      "tags": [
        "Release Notes",
        "Vendor Advisory"
      ],
      "source": "af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"
    },
    {
      "url": "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/45764",
      "tags": [
        "Third Party Advisory",
        "VDB Entry"
      ],
      "source": "af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/64682",
      "tags": [
        "Third Party Advisory",
        "VDB Entry"
      ],
      "source": "af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"
    }
  ],
  "vulnStatus": "Modified",
  "weaknesses": [
    {
      "type": "Primary",
      "source": "nvd@nist.gov",
      "description": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "CWE-20"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "descriptions": [
    {
      "lang": "en",
      "value": "Cisco IOS before 15.0(1)XA does not properly handle IRC traffic during a specific time period after an initial reload, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device reload) via an attempted connection to a certain IRC server, related to a \"corrupted magic value,\" aka Bug ID CSCso05336."
    },
    {
      "lang": "es",
      "value": "Cisco IOS en versiones anteriores a la 15.0(1)XA no maneja apropiadamente el tráfico IRC durante un periodo de tiempo específico después de una recarga inicial, lo que permite a atacantes remotos provocar una denegación de servicio (recarga del dispositivo) a través de un intento de conexión a un servidor IRC determinado. Asunto relacionado con un valor mágico corrupto. También conocido como bug Bug ID CSCso05336."
    }
  ],
  "lastModified": "2026-06-16T23:14:52.657",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "nodes": [
        {
          "negate": false,
          "cpeMatch": [
            {
              "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
              "vulnerable": true,
              "matchCriteriaId": "671746C5-0637-43B7-AF80-A82F6FF6376C",
              "versionEndExcluding": "15.0\\(1\\)xa"
            }
          ],
          "operator": "OR"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sourceIdentifier": "cve@mitre.org"
}