Cisco has released patches for six flaws in its Internetwork Operating System (IOS) which could be used as part of a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack.

The update features five fixes for its IOS Software and a single patch for its Cisco 7600 Series Route Switch Processor 720 with 10 Gigabit Ethernet uplinks.

The company said that the vulnerabilities are serious as they could be used to mount DoS attacks on its customers.

It advises Systems Administrators to use the Cisco IOS Software Checker to determine if a given release is exposed to a Cisco product vulnerability.

Not exploited yet

So far there is no evidence that the vulnerabilities are being exploited, but any flaws that serious in Cisco’s IOS are made more significant because of the amount of control the software has over the market.

IOS is a widely used network infrastructure and is working on millions of systems, ranging from the small home office router to the core systems of the world’s largest service provider networks.

DoS attacks are the weapon of choice of hacktivists, though other groups have begun experimenting with it.

Leaked PRISM documents proved a secret spy unit linked to the UK Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) had mounted DoS attacks against the Anonymous collective earlier in February.

Cisco boasts that it is the most widely used network infrastructure software in the world. You can see details of the flaws and the patches at the Cisco site here.

Source: http://www.techradar.com/news/networking/lan/cisco-patches-six-holes-to-stop-dos-attacks-1237692