CVE-2009-0618 in Application Networking Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Java agent in Cisco Application Networking Manager (ANM) before 2.0 Update A allows remote attackers to gain privileges, and cause a denial of service (service outage) by stopping processes, or obtain sensitive information by reading configuration files.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-0618 represents a critical security flaw within the Java agent component of Cisco Application Networking Manager version 2.0 Update A and earlier releases. This unspecified weakness exists within the application networking management software that Cisco provides to enterprise customers for managing network services and applications. The vulnerability affects the Java-based agent that operates within the ANM framework, which is designed to monitor and manage various network components including load balancers, firewalls, and other application delivery controllers. The flaw manifests in the agent's handling of process management and configuration file access, creating potential attack vectors that could be exploited by remote threat actors without requiring authentication credentials.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and privilege separation mechanisms within the Java agent implementation. Attackers can leverage this weakness to execute remote code execution attacks that allow them to escalate privileges beyond the normal operational boundaries of the agent. The vulnerability enables malicious actors to stop critical processes that maintain the network service availability, effectively creating a denial of service condition that could result in complete service outages for network applications. Additionally, the flaw permits unauthorized access to sensitive configuration files that contain critical network information, credentials, and service parameters that could be exploited for further attacks or to gain deeper insights into the network infrastructure.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise network security and availability. Organizations relying on Cisco Application Networking Manager for critical network operations face potential exposure to unauthorized access, service disruption, and data breaches. The ability to stop processes could result in immediate service degradation or complete outages affecting business operations, while the information disclosure capability could expose sensitive network configurations that attackers could use to plan more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability affects the fundamental security posture of networks managed through ANM, potentially compromising the integrity and confidentiality of network management operations. Network administrators may experience challenges in maintaining service availability while investigating and remediating the vulnerability, as the attack surface extends to both the management interface and underlying network services.
The security implications of CVE-2009-0618 align with several common weakness enumerations including CWE-20 for improper input validation and CWE-264 for permissions, privileges, and access control issues. The attack patterns associated with this vulnerability correspond to techniques outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and defense evasion tactics. Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the Cisco security advisory updates, implementing network segmentation to limit access to the affected systems, and monitoring for suspicious process termination activities. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure coding practices in enterprise management applications and highlights the need for regular security assessments of network management tools to prevent similar issues from affecting critical infrastructure components.