CVE-2014-2195 in Mail Security Appliance
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco AsyncOS on Email Security Appliance (ESA) and Content Security Management Appliance (SMA) devices, when Active Directory is enabled, does not properly handle group names, which allows remote attackers to gain role privileges by leveraging group-name similarity, aka Bug ID CSCum86085.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/03/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-2195 affects Cisco AsyncOS operating systems deployed on Email Security Appliance and Content Security Management Appliance devices. This security flaw manifests when Active Directory integration is enabled within the system configuration, creating a privilege escalation opportunity for remote attackers. The core issue stems from insufficient validation mechanisms that handle group name comparisons, allowing malicious actors to exploit similarities in group naming conventions to assume elevated privileges within the security appliance environment. The vulnerability operates through a specific mechanism where attackers can manipulate group membership assertions to gain unauthorized access to administrative functions and roles that should remain restricted.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the improper handling of group names during authentication and authorization processes within the AsyncOS framework. When Active Directory is configured for user authentication, the system performs group membership checks to determine user privileges and access rights. However, the implementation fails to properly validate or sanitize group names before processing them, creating a condition where similar group names can be misinterpreted or incorrectly matched. This flaw specifically affects the comparison algorithms used for group membership verification, allowing attackers to construct group names that will be processed as legitimate administrative groups despite not actually belonging to those roles. The vulnerability falls under CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, and more specifically relates to improper authorization mechanisms that allow privilege escalation through flawed identity management processes.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass potential full system compromise and data exfiltration capabilities. Remote attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can assume administrative roles within the email security appliance, gaining complete control over email filtering policies, user management functions, and system configuration parameters. This elevated access level enables attackers to modify security policies, bypass content filtering mechanisms, and potentially intercept or manipulate email communications passing through the appliance. The attack vector requires only remote access to the appliance, making it particularly dangerous as it does not require physical presence or local network access. The vulnerability essentially undermines the fundamental security model of the appliance by allowing attackers to circumvent the role-based access control mechanisms that should protect administrative functions from unauthorized users.
Organizations utilizing Cisco Email Security Appliance and Content Security Management Appliance devices with Active Directory integration face significant risk from this vulnerability, particularly in environments where email security is critical for protecting sensitive communications. The exploitation of this flaw could result in complete compromise of email security infrastructure, potentially allowing attackers to establish persistent access to the network through email-based attack vectors. Security teams should prioritize immediate remediation through official Cisco patches and updates, as well as implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additional mitigations include disabling Active Directory integration when not strictly necessary, implementing strict group naming conventions, and conducting regular security assessments of authentication and authorization mechanisms. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and authorization checking in security-critical systems, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1484 for domain policy manipulation. Organizations should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for unusual authentication patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.