Cisco IOS XR7

Main article: Operating systems

2020: Elimination of the vulnerabilities allowing to exhaust memory of target routers

On October 1, 2020 it became known that the Cisco Systems company eliminated two actively operated DoS-vulnerabilities of exhaustion of memory which were detected in the software of IOS XR on several routers of operator level.

Network XR Cisco IOS OS is unrolled on several models of routers, including the NCS 540 and 560, NCS 5500, 8000 and ASR 9000 series.

Two DoS-vulnerabilities (CVE-2020-3566 and CVE-2020-3569) exist as the routing protocol of group datagrams for IP networks (Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol, DVMRP) of IOS XR software. They mention any Cisco device running any version of Cisco IOS of XR if one of active interfaces is configured for multiple routing.

The removed not authorized malefactors can exploit vulnerabilities by sending specially created traffic of IGMP and exhaust memory of target routers.

Earlier, when vulnerabilities only became known, Cisco proposed to users only measures for prevention of their operation, however now the company released the software updates fixing these problems^[1].

2019: Announcement of Cisco IOS of XR7

In December, 2019 Cisco submitted the IOS XR7 operating system intended for network equipment which, according to in the company, will form the basis of the new Internet.

According to developers, XR7 Cisco IOS platform is adapted to work with cloud environments and allows to simplify operation and to lower operating costs.

Cisco released OS for network equipment which will form the basis of the new Internet

In the press release it is also said that the operating system is designed so that to use twice less memory and other hardware resources in comparison with traditional solutions.

Cisco IOS of XR7 has modern architecture with open API which accelerates loading of the operating system and increases the speed of downloading of data, the producer states.

One more advantage of the product Cisco calls high degree of security. In OS new levels of protection of boot strap loading and mechanisms of protection of chips, storage systems and also functions of check of processes during operation of a system and possibilities of audit are implemented.

IOS XR7 became a part of technology strategy of Cisco directed to creation of the new Internet — not subject to restrictions on performance, profitability and power consumption.

Our last solutions in the field of microelectronics, optical technologies and the software – result of many years of work on innovations which will help our customers to save leadership and to offer clients and end users new disruptive applications and services within decades — the head of Cisco Chuck Robbins said.

According to the analyst of ACG Research Ray Moto, an innovation in the field of the equipment, software, optics and microelectronics Cisco changes all economy which is the cornerstone of the World Wide Web, helping customers to reduce operating costs and to increase scale, preparing for the following phase of the Internet.^[2]

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