CVE-2013-3420 in Identity Services Engine
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the web framework on the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users, aka Bug ID CSCuh25506.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/07/2018
The Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) represents a critical network access control solution that authenticates and authorizes network devices and users within enterprise environments. This system serves as a central hub for managing network security policies and access control, making it a prime target for sophisticated cyber attacks. The vulnerability in question manifests as a cross-site request forgery flaw that undermines the fundamental security mechanisms designed to protect user sessions and authentication processes. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they exploit the trust relationship between web applications and users, allowing attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users without their knowledge or consent.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins within the ISE web framework. Attackers can craft malicious web pages or send specially crafted requests that exploit the lack of proper anti-CSRF tokens or origin validation mechanisms. When a victim with active ISE session visits the malicious page or clicks on a compromised link, the browser automatically includes the victim's authentication cookies with the request, enabling the attacker to execute administrative functions or modify network policies. This flaw operates at the application layer and specifically targets the authentication and session management components of the ISE platform. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-352, which defines Cross-Site Request Forgery as a weakness where the application does not adequately validate the origin of requests, allowing unauthorized operations to be performed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data theft or unauthorized access. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF flaw can manipulate network access policies, modify user accounts, disable security controls, and potentially gain complete administrative control over the ISE infrastructure. This compromise directly affects network security posture by undermining the centralized authentication and authorization mechanisms that organizations rely upon for network access control. The consequences include potential unauthorized network access, data exfiltration, and disruption of critical network services. Organizations using ISE for network security enforcement face significant risk of lateral movement within their networks, as the attacker could modify access control lists, create new user accounts, or disable security monitoring functions. The vulnerability affects the integrity and availability of network security controls, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network access control is paramount for security operations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate attention from network security teams and should include applying the latest security patches released by Cisco to address the identified CSRF flaw. Organizations must implement proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms throughout the ISE web interface and ensure that all requests are properly validated for their intended origin. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious authentication activities and unauthorized policy modifications. Security teams should also consider implementing additional authentication controls such as multi-factor authentication and regular security audits of ISE configurations. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of the patched environment to ensure that the CSRF protection mechanisms function correctly without disrupting legitimate administrative operations. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1566 which covers Phishing and T1078 which covers Valid Accounts, as attackers can leverage this flaw to gain persistent access through hijacked user sessions and manipulate network access controls.