# CVE-2009-4118: Denial of service in n/a

> Local users can crash the Cisco VPN client service and disconnect VPN sessions by manually starting the service executable while it is already running.

- **Severity:** Low 2.1 (`AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 1 Dec 2009
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-r65m-rpw4-4w3f

## What is CVE-2009-4118?

CVE-2009-4118 is a low-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 1 Dec 2009. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

The StartServiceCtrlDispatcher function in the cvpnd service (cvpnd.exe) in Cisco VPN client for Windows before 5.0.06.0100 does not properly handle an ERROR_FAILED_SERVICE_CONTROLLER_CONNECT error, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (service crash and VPN connection loss) via a manual start of cvpnd.exe while the cvpnd service is running.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2009-4118?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Vpn Client.

## How do I fix CVE-2009-4118?

No fix has been published for CVE-2009-4118 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2009-4118 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2009-4118 exists.

Public exploit code:

- Cisco VPN Client - Integer Overflow Denial of Service (exploitdb)
- Cisco VPN Client - Integer Overflow Denial of Service (github_poc): https://github.com/alt3kx/CVE-2009-4118

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2002-1106](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-1106/): Security feature bypass in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2002-1107](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-1107/): Weak cryptography in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2015-7600](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-7600/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2006-2679](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-2679/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2002-1447](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-1447/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.2)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2009-4118 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2009-4118 is a low-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 1 Dec 2009. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2009-4118 exists.

Affected product: n/a. 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-2009-4118/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-4118/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2009-4118
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2009-4118
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2009-4118

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-4118/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.