CVE-2010-0142 in Unified MeetingPlace
Summary
by MITRE
MeetingTime in Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 6 before MR5, and possibly 5, allows remote authenticated users to gain privileges via a modified authentication sequence, aka Bug ID CSCsv66530.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/29/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-0142 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 6 before MR5 and potentially version 5, exploiting weaknesses in the authentication mechanism to allow remote authenticated users to elevate their privileges. This vulnerability specifically targets the MeetingTime component of the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace platform, which serves as a collaborative meeting solution for enterprise environments. The flaw enables attackers who have already established legitimate authentication credentials to manipulate the authentication sequence and gain elevated access rights, potentially compromising the entire meeting management system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of authentication tokens and session management within the MeetingTime module. When users authenticate to the system, the platform generates authentication sequences that should remain tamper-proof and securely managed throughout the user session. However, the vulnerability allows attackers to modify these authentication parameters in transit or at the point of validation, effectively bypassing normal access controls and privilege boundaries. This type of flaw aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper handling of authentication tokens and session management issues that can lead to unauthorized privilege escalation. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires an attacker to already possess valid credentials, making it a post-authentication privilege escalation issue rather than a pre-authentication vulnerability.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-0142 extends beyond simple privilege elevation, as it can potentially allow attackers to access sensitive meeting data, manipulate meeting schedules, and gain access to administrative functions within the Unified MeetingPlace system. This could result in significant business disruption, data breaches, and unauthorized access to confidential corporate communications. Organizations using Cisco Unified MeetingPlace may face unauthorized modification of meeting records, potential denial of service conditions, and exposure of sensitive meeting content that could contain proprietary information or strategic business plans. The vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where collaborative meeting platforms are extensively used for business-critical operations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patch application to the affected Cisco Unified MeetingPlace versions, as well as enhanced monitoring of authentication sequences and session management within the system. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to the MeetingPlace system, deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious authentication patterns, and conduct regular security assessments of their collaboration platforms. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper session management and token validation as outlined in the ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the use of valid credentials to gain higher privileges. System administrators should also consider implementing additional authentication controls such as multi-factor authentication and regular credential rotation to reduce the risk exposure. Organizations should also review their access control policies and ensure that the principle of least privilege is enforced across all meeting management functions to minimize potential impact from such vulnerabilities.