# CVE-2005-3481: Memory corruption in n/a

> A general weakness in Cisco IOS system timers increases the feasibility of exploiting other vulnerabilities, potentially allowing remote code execution.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.3 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not stated
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 3 Nov 2005
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-q69w-f877-cj83

## What is CVE-2005-3481?

CVE-2005-3481 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Cisco Ios, published on 3 Nov 2005. It can be exploited over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Cisco IOS 12.0 to 12.4 might allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a heap-based buffer overflow in system timers. NOTE: this issue does not correspond to a specific vulnerability, rather a general weakness that only increases the feasibility of exploitation of any vulnerabilities that might exist.  Such design-level weaknesses normally are not included in CVE, so perhaps this issue should be REJECTed.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2005-3481?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Ios.

## How do I fix CVE-2005-3481?

No fix has been published for CVE-2005-3481 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2005-3481 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2005-3481 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Ios

- [CVE-2017-12240](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-12240/): Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software DHCP Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2017-3881](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-3881/): Cisco IOS and IOS XE Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2018-0167](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0167/): Cisco IOS, XR, and XE Software Buffer Overflow (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2017-6736](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6736/): Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software SNMP Remote Code Execution (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2017-6737](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6737/): Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software SNMP Remote Code Execution (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2005-3481 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2005-3481 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Cisco Ios, published on 3 Nov 2005. It can be exploited over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2005-3481 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Ios. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-3481/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-3481/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2005-3481
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2005-3481
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2005-3481

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-3481/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.