CVE-2011-3310 in CiscoWorks Common Services
Summary
by MITRE
The Home Page component in Cisco CiscoWorks Common Services before 4.1 on Windows, as used in CiscoWorks LAN Management Solution, Cisco Security Manager, Cisco Unified Service Monitor, Cisco Unified Operations Manager, CiscoWorks QoS Policy Manager, and CiscoWorks Voice Manager, allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary commands via a crafted URL, aka Bug IDs CSCtq48990, CSCtq63992, CSCtq64011, CSCtq64019, CSCtr23090, and CSCtt25535.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/24/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2011-3310 represents a critical command injection flaw within Cisco's Common Services framework that affects multiple enterprise network management applications. This security weakness exists in the Home Page component of CiscoWorks Common Services version 4.0 and earlier, specifically impacting Windows deployments. The vulnerability allows authenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on affected systems through carefully crafted URLs, making it particularly dangerous as it requires minimal privileges to exploit. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the web interface components, creating a pathway for malicious command execution that could compromise the entire network management infrastructure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the improper handling of user-supplied input within URL parameters that are processed by the affected CiscoWorks applications. When a user accesses a specially crafted URL containing malicious command sequences, the system fails to properly validate or sanitize these inputs before processing them, leading to arbitrary code execution. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-77, which specifically addresses "Command Injection" in software systems. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires only authentication to the system, meaning that an attacker with valid credentials could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and gain full control over the affected network management servers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple command execution, as it could enable attackers to completely compromise the network management infrastructure that organizations rely upon for critical operations. Affected systems include CiscoWorks LAN Management Solution, Cisco Security Manager, Cisco Unified Service Monitor, Cisco Unified Operations Manager, CiscoWorks QoS Policy Manager, and CiscoWorks Voice Manager, all of which are integral to enterprise network operations. The exploitation of this vulnerability could result in unauthorized access to network configurations, data exfiltration, disruption of network services, and potential lateral movement within the network. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques such as T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter and T1078 for valid accounts, as it leverages legitimate authentication mechanisms to execute malicious commands.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through the application of Cisco's security patches and updates, as the vulnerability affects multiple critical network management applications across different Cisco products. The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to CiscoWorks Common Services version 4.1 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for this command injection vulnerability. Additionally, network administrators should implement strict access controls and monitoring of URL parameters within the affected applications to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation in web applications and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of network management interfaces. Security teams should also consider implementing network segmentation and privilege separation to limit the potential impact if such vulnerabilities are exploited in the future.