CVE-2014-0651 in Context Directory Agent
Summary
by MITRE
The administrative interface in Cisco Context Directory Agent (CDA) does not properly enforce authorization requirements, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain administrative access by hijacking a session, aka Bug ID CSCuj45347.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/18/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-0651 resides within Cisco Context Directory Agent a component designed to provide directory services and authentication capabilities within enterprise networks. This administrative interface flaw represents a critical authorization bypass vulnerability that undermines the security posture of affected systems. The issue stems from insufficient session management controls within the CDA administrative console, creating a pathway for malicious actors to escalate their privileges without proper authentication credentials.
The technical flaw manifests through improper session hijacking mechanisms that allow authenticated users to manipulate session tokens and gain unauthorized administrative access to the system. This vulnerability operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-285 which specifically addresses improper authorization controls. The flaw enables attackers to exploit existing authenticated sessions rather than requiring additional credential acquisition, making the attack vector more efficient and potentially harder to detect. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it leverages legitimate authentication mechanisms against the system rather than bypassing them entirely.
From an operational impact perspective this vulnerability creates significant risks for enterprise environments relying on Cisco CDA for directory services and authentication. Attackers who can successfully hijack administrative sessions gain full control over directory services including user management, access control configuration, and potentially access to sensitive organizational data. The attack requires only remote authenticated access, meaning that an attacker with valid user credentials can escalate their privileges to administrative level without additional authentication factors. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation through session hijacking.
The exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental flaw in session management and authorization enforcement within the Cisco CDA administrative interface. Organizations using this software face potential data breaches, unauthorized system modifications, and complete compromise of directory services. The vulnerability affects multiple Cisco CDA versions and requires immediate remediation through official security patches provided by Cisco. Security teams must implement comprehensive monitoring for suspicious session activity and ensure proper access controls are enforced throughout the directory service infrastructure. The flaw underscores the importance of proper session token management and authorization checking mechanisms in administrative interfaces. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as multi-factor authentication and session timeout policies to mitigate the risk of similar vulnerabilities in other components of their directory services infrastructure.