CVE-2004-1760 in Conference Connection
Summary
by MITRE
The default installation of Cisco voice products, when running the IBM Director Agent on IBM servers before OS 2000.2.6, does not require authentication, which allows remote attackers to gain administrator privileges by connecting to TCP port 14247.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/21/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2004-1760 represents a critical security flaw in Cisco voice products that affects systems running IBM Director Agent on IBM servers prior to OS 2000.2.6. This issue stems from improper authentication mechanisms within the default installation configuration, creating an exploitable condition that allows unauthorized remote access to administrative functions. The vulnerability specifically targets TCP port 14247 which serves as the communication endpoint for the IBM Director Agent, making it a prime target for malicious actors seeking to compromise voice infrastructure systems.
The technical flaw manifests through the absence of authentication requirements for the IBM Director Agent service, which operates on the designated TCP port 14247. This configuration allows any remote attacker to establish a connection without presenting valid credentials, effectively bypassing the security controls that should normally protect administrative access to the system. The vulnerability exists at the network level where the service listens for incoming connections without implementing proper authentication mechanisms, creating a backdoor that can be exploited by attackers who discover the open port.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations utilizing Cisco voice products in their infrastructure. Remote attackers who gain access through this unauthenticated connection can assume full administrative privileges, enabling them to manipulate voice services, modify system configurations, access sensitive communication data, and potentially disrupt business operations. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the voice infrastructure, as attackers can perform actions such as disabling voice services, modifying call routing, or extracting confidential voice communications. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and undermines the security posture of the entire voice communication system.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability by either applying the appropriate security patches released by Cisco and IBM, configuring network firewalls to block access to TCP port 14247 from unauthorized networks, or upgrading to supported versions of the operating system and IBM Director Agent that include proper authentication mechanisms. The remediation process should also involve conducting network audits to identify systems running vulnerable versions of the software and implementing proper access controls. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-310, which addresses cryptographic weaknesses, and represents a classic example of insufficient authentication that falls under ATT&CK technique T1110.003 for credential access through unauthenticated access. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure configuration management and the need for regular security assessments to identify and remediate such exposures in enterprise infrastructure.