CVE-2013-4633 in Seco Versatile Security Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Huawei Seco Versatile Security Manager (VSM) before V200R002C00SPC300 allows remote authenticated users to gain privileges via a certain change to a group configuration setting.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/11/2018
The Huawei Seco Versatile Security Manager VSM represents a critical security vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-4633, affecting versions prior to V200R002C00SPC300. This vulnerability resides within Huawei's security infrastructure management platform, which serves as a centralized solution for managing security policies and configurations across network environments. The affected system operates as a security gateway that controls access permissions and user privileges within enterprise networks, making it a prime target for attackers seeking elevated access rights.
The technical flaw manifests through a specific privilege escalation vector that exploits a group configuration setting modification capability. Authenticated users can manipulate group membership parameters to gain unauthorized administrative privileges within the system. This vulnerability operates at the authorization level, where legitimate users with existing credentials can exploit configuration weaknesses to elevate their access rights beyond their intended permissions. The flaw essentially allows for unauthorized privilege elevation through manipulation of group-based access controls, bypassing normal security boundaries that should prevent such unauthorized access.
Operationally, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise security infrastructures as it enables attackers to gain administrative access to security management systems without requiring additional authentication credentials. Once exploited, the compromised system could provide attackers with complete control over security policies, user management, and network access controls. The impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it potentially allows for persistent access, data exfiltration, and complete compromise of the security infrastructure. Organizations relying on this platform for network security management face severe operational risks, including potential data breaches, unauthorized network access, and complete loss of security control over their managed environments.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-269, which describes improper privilege management, and represents a classic example of insufficient access control mechanisms within security management systems. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques under the T1068 category, specifically targeting the exploitation of configuration weaknesses to gain elevated privileges. The attack vector requires only authenticated access, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by insiders or compromised legitimate users. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant security patches, reviewing and hardening group configuration settings, and implementing additional access controls to prevent unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of Huawei's security patches addressing this specific vulnerability, followed by comprehensive security configuration reviews. Network segmentation and access control policies should be strengthened to limit the scope of potential privilege escalation. Regular security audits of group configuration settings and user access permissions should be implemented to detect and prevent unauthorized modifications. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing multi-factor authentication mechanisms and privilege management controls to reduce the impact of potential exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and proper access control configurations in enterprise security management systems.