CVE-2009-0615 in Application Networking Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Directory traversal vulnerability in Cisco Application Networking Manager (ANM) before 2.0 and Application Control Engine (ACE) Device Manager before A3(2.1) allows remote authenticated users to read or modify arbitrary files via unspecified vectors, related to "invalid directory permissions."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-0615 represents a critical directory traversal flaw affecting Cisco Application Networking Manager and Application Control Engine Device Manager products. This security weakness exists in versions prior to 2.0 for ANM and before A3(2.1) for ACE Device Manager, creating a significant risk for authenticated remote attackers who can exploit the issue to access or manipulate arbitrary files on affected systems. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of directory permissions within the affected software components, allowing malicious actors to bypass normal access controls and navigate to restricted file systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-22, which describes improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, commonly known as path traversal or directory traversal attacks. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting malicious requests that contain directory traversal sequences such as "../" or "..\" to access files outside the intended directory structure. The flaw specifically relates to "invalid directory permissions" which suggests that the affected systems fail to properly validate or enforce access controls when processing file requests, potentially allowing unauthorized access to sensitive system files, configuration data, or user information. This type of vulnerability typically arises from insufficient input validation and inadequate sanitization of file path parameters within the application's file handling mechanisms.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe threat to network infrastructure security as it enables authenticated remote attackers to potentially access confidential information, modify critical system files, or even escalate privileges within the affected environments. The impact extends beyond simple data theft to include potential system compromise and service disruption, particularly in enterprise environments where these Cisco products are deployed for network management and application control. Organizations utilizing these devices face risks including unauthorized access to network configurations, exposure of sensitive operational data, and potential compromise of the broader network infrastructure. The vulnerability's remote nature means attackers do not require physical access to the systems and can exploit it from external network locations, making it particularly dangerous for organizations with exposed management interfaces.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-0615 should prioritize immediate software updates and patches provided by Cisco to address the directory traversal vulnerability in affected versions of ANM and ACE Device Manager. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to management interfaces and enforce strict access controls, ensuring that only authorized personnel can reach these critical systems. Additionally, regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in network infrastructure components. The implementation of web application firewalls and input validation controls can provide additional layers of protection against path traversal attacks. Security teams should also establish monitoring procedures to detect suspicious file access patterns and unauthorized modifications to system files, as recommended by the ATT&CK framework's techniques for privilege escalation and credential access. Organizations should conduct thorough security reviews of their network management systems to identify and remediate similar directory traversal vulnerabilities across their entire infrastructure.