CVE-2013-3469 in Mobility Services Engine
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco Mobility Services Engine does not properly set up the Oracle SSL service, which allows remote attackers to obtain an unauthenticated session to the database-replication port, and consequently obtain sensitive information, via an SSL connection, aka Bug ID CSCue50794.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/07/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-3469 affects Cisco Mobility Services Engine devices, which are critical components in enterprise wireless networking infrastructure. This flaw resides in the Oracle SSL service configuration within the Mobility Services Engine, creating a significant security gap that adversaries can exploit to gain unauthorized access to sensitive database replication ports. The vulnerability specifically impacts the authentication mechanisms that should normally prevent unauthorized access to database services, allowing attackers to establish unauthenticated sessions that bypass normal security controls.
The technical implementation flaw stems from improper initialization of SSL service components within the Oracle database connection handling of the Mobility Services Engine. When the system attempts to establish secure connections for database replication, the SSL service configuration fails to properly enforce authentication requirements, creating a pathway for remote attackers to connect directly to the database replication port without providing valid credentials. This misconfiguration effectively creates a backdoor access method that operates outside the normal authentication flow, enabling attackers to establish sessions that should otherwise require proper authentication.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to enterprise networks as it allows remote attackers to access sensitive information stored in the database replication port without any authentication requirements. The database replication port typically contains critical enterprise data including user credentials, network configurations, and other sensitive information that could be exploited for further attacks within the network. Attackers could leverage this access to perform data exfiltration, modify database contents, or use the acquired information to launch additional attacks against other network components.
The impact of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-310, which addresses cryptographic weaknesses in authentication mechanisms, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege in network security. The vulnerability enables unauthorized access to database services that should be protected by strong authentication controls, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on Cisco Mobility Services Engine for wireless network management. This weakness allows attackers to establish persistent access to enterprise databases through a remote attack vector, potentially leading to comprehensive data breaches and network compromise.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to Cisco IOS software releases that address the SSL service configuration issues, disabling unnecessary database replication services when not required, and implementing network segmentation to limit access to database ports. The remediation efforts should follow ATT&CK technique T1190 for exploiting vulnerabilities in network services and T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage. Additionally, network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual access patterns to database replication ports, and regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar configuration weaknesses in other network infrastructure components.