CVE-2011-2042 in CiscoWorks Common Services
Summary
by MITRE
The Sybase SQL Anywhere database component in Cisco CiscoWorks Common Services 3.x and 4.x before 4.1 allows remote attackers to obtain potentially sensitive information about the engine name and database port via an unspecified request to UDP port 2638, aka Bug ID CSCsk35018.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/23/2015
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2042 represents a sensitive information disclosure flaw within the Sybase SQL Anywhere database component integrated into Cisco CiscoWorks Common Services versions 3.x and 4.x prior to 4.1. This issue manifests through an unspecified request directed to UDP port 2638, which enables remote attackers to extract potentially sensitive information regarding the database engine name and associated database port. The vulnerability specifically affects CiscoWorks Common Services, a network management platform that provides various services including database connectivity for network device management and monitoring. The exposure of database engine names and port information creates a significant risk for attackers seeking to understand the underlying infrastructure and potentially exploit additional vulnerabilities within the database ecosystem.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and inadequate access controls within the database component's UDP service handler. When remote attackers send crafted requests to UDP port 2638, the system responds with information that reveals the database engine identification and listening port configuration without proper authentication or authorization checks. This behavior violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and information hiding, as the system inadvertently exposes internal configuration details that should remain protected from external entities. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic case of improper error handling and information leakage, where the database service fails to sanitize its responses to external queries, thereby providing attackers with reconnaissance data that could facilitate more sophisticated attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it significantly weakens the overall security posture of systems running affected CiscoWorks Common Services versions. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can use the disclosed information to map the database infrastructure, identify potential attack vectors, and plan more targeted exploitation attempts against the database engine itself. The exposure of database port information particularly increases the risk of port scanning and subsequent exploitation of other vulnerabilities present on the same network segment. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which categorizes information exposure issues, and represents a critical weakness in the system's security architecture that could lead to cascading security failures. The impact is particularly severe in enterprise environments where CiscoWorks Common Services typically operates as a central management platform with access to sensitive network device information and configuration data.
Organizations affected by CVE-2011-2042 should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to restrict access to UDP port 2638, firewall rules to block unauthorized external access, and application-level controls to prevent the disclosure of internal database configuration details. The most effective long-term solution involves upgrading to CiscoWorks Common Services version 4.1 or later, which contains patches addressing this specific vulnerability. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive network scans to identify all instances of affected software and ensure proper access controls are implemented at both network and application levels. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure configuration management and the need for regular security assessments to identify and remediate information disclosure vulnerabilities that could compromise the entire security infrastructure. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this issue under T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) and T1592 (Gather Victim Host Information) as it enables attackers to collect system information that could be used for further reconnaissance and exploitation activities.