CVE-2005-4332 in Clean Access
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco Clean Access 3.5.5 and earlier on the Secure Smart Manager allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and cause a denial of service or upload files via direct requests to obsolete JSP files including (1) admin/uploadclient.jsp, (2) apply_firmware_action.jsp, and (3) file.jsp.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/12/2015
Cisco Clean Access 3.5.5 and earlier versions running on Secure Smart Manager contain critical security vulnerabilities that enable remote attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms and execute malicious actions through direct requests to obsolete java server pages. These vulnerable endpoints represent a significant weakness in the authentication framework where attackers can bypass legitimate access controls by directly accessing deprecated jsp files without proper authorization. The vulnerability stems from the improper handling of requests to legacy administrative interfaces that should have been disabled or properly secured in the software lifecycle. The affected files admin/uploadclient.jsp, apply_firmware_action.jsp, and file.jsp represent legacy components that remain accessible despite being deprecated, creating an attack surface that allows unauthorized access to sensitive administrative functions.
The technical flaw manifests through the lack of proper access control validation when processing requests to these specific jsp files. Attackers can exploit this by directly submitting requests to these obsolete endpoints without authentication, effectively bypassing the normal authentication flow that should protect administrative functions. This vulnerability operates under the weakness category of inadequate authentication controls and represents a classic example of insecure direct object references as outlined in CWE-639. The absence of proper session management and access control checks in these legacy components allows remote exploitation without requiring valid credentials or prior authentication. The underlying architecture fails to implement proper authorization checks, enabling attackers to escalate privileges or gain unauthorized access to administrative functions through simple direct requests.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple authentication bypass to include potential denial of service conditions and unauthorized file upload capabilities. Attackers can leverage these obsolete endpoints to upload malicious files to the system, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or complete system compromise. The denial of service aspect occurs when attackers can manipulate the system through these vulnerable endpoints, causing legitimate services to become unavailable or crash. This vulnerability affects the availability and integrity of the Secure Smart Manager platform, as unauthorized individuals can disrupt normal operations while simultaneously gaining access to administrative capabilities. The attack vector operates entirely over the network without requiring physical access or special privileges, making it particularly dangerous for network infrastructure systems. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1210 for exploiting weak or default credentials and T1078 for valid accounts usage, as attackers can leverage the bypassed authentication to maintain persistent access.
The security implications of this vulnerability are severe given that it affects the core authentication mechanisms of the Secure Smart Manager platform. Organizations using vulnerable versions of Cisco Clean Access face significant risk of unauthorized access to their network access control systems, potentially allowing attackers to modify network policies, upload malicious firmware, or disrupt access control services. The vulnerability represents a critical failure in the software security lifecycle where deprecated components were not properly removed or secured. Remediation requires immediate patching of the affected Cisco Clean Access versions to address the authentication bypass issues. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to these administrative interfaces, disable unnecessary legacy components, and monitor for suspicious access attempts to these vulnerable endpoints. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper software lifecycle management and the dangers of leaving deprecated administrative interfaces accessible without proper access controls. Security teams must conduct thorough inventory assessments to identify and disable all obsolete administrative interfaces that could present similar attack vectors, as these vulnerabilities can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to critical network infrastructure components.