CVE-2012-3908 in Identity Services Engine
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in the ISE Administrator user interface (aka the Apache Tomcat interface) on Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) 3300 series appliances before 1.1.0.665 Cumulative Patch 1 allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators, aka Bug ID CSCty46684.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/01/2018
The vulnerability CVE-2012-3908 represents a critical cross-site request forgery weakness discovered in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) 3300 series appliances running versions prior to 1.1.0.665 Cumulative Patch 1. This flaw specifically affects the ISE Administrator user interface which operates through the Apache Tomcat interface, making it particularly dangerous as it targets the administrative functions of a core network security platform. The vulnerability enables remote attackers to hijack administrator sessions by tricking authenticated users into executing unauthorized actions within the context of their active sessions.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF protections within the ISE Administrator interface. Attackers can craft malicious web pages or send specially crafted requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, perform administrative actions without the user's knowledge or consent. This occurs because the application fails to validate that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same session context, creating a pathway for unauthorized command execution. The vulnerability specifically impacts the Apache Tomcat interface layer of the ISE platform, which serves as the web application container for the administrative console.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it directly compromises the security of network infrastructure management. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF flaw can gain full administrative control over the ISE appliance, potentially leading to unauthorized network access, configuration changes, user management modifications, and complete compromise of the identity services infrastructure. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it targets the administrative interface of a security appliance, meaning successful exploitation could result in widespread network compromise and potential data breaches. The bug ID CSCty46684 further indicates this was a recognized issue within Cisco's internal tracking systems, highlighting the severity of the flaw.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including applying the 1.1.0.665 Cumulative Patch 1 release from Cisco, which addresses the CSRF implementation gaps in the Apache Tomcat interface. Additional protective measures include implementing network segmentation to limit access to the ISE administrative interface, deploying web application firewalls to monitor for suspicious request patterns, and ensuring that administrative access is restricted to trusted networks only. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.002 for social engineering via web-based attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative access and regularly audit administrative session management to detect potential exploitation attempts.