CVE-2014-6623 in ClearPass
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Insight module in Aruba Networks ClearPass before 6.3.6 and 6.4.x before 6.4.1 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of a logged in user via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/14/2019
The CVE-2014-6623 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Insight module of Aruba Networks ClearPass authentication platform. This vulnerability affects versions prior to 6.3.6 and 6.4.1, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on this network access control solution. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the authentication mechanism by crafting malicious requests that can hijack active user sessions without requiring authentication credentials. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple session hijacking, potentially allowing attackers to perform unauthorized administrative actions within the ClearPass environment.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms within the Insight module's web interface. Attackers can leverage this weakness by tricking authenticated users into visiting malicious websites or clicking on compromised links that automatically submit requests to the vulnerable ClearPass instance. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that multiple attack scenarios may be possible, including email-based social engineering campaigns or compromised web pages that embed malicious content. This weakness aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities in web applications. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be classified under the ATT&CK technique T1566 for Phishing and T1548 for Abuse of Cloud Compute Resources when executed in cloud environments.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for organizations using Aruba Networks ClearPass solutions, as successful exploitation could result in complete compromise of the network access control system. Attackers could gain unauthorized access to network resources, modify user permissions, and potentially escalate privileges to administrative levels within the ClearPass environment. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on ClearPass for network authentication and access control, as it undermines the fundamental security assumptions of the platform. The attack requires minimal technical expertise to execute, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by threat actors with varying skill levels. Organizations may experience unauthorized network access, data breaches, and potential lateral movement within their networks, as the compromised ClearPass instance could serve as a gateway for further attacks.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the patched versions 6.3.6 and 6.4.1, which contain proper CSRF protection mechanisms and token validation. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious authentication patterns and unauthorized access attempts. Additionally, security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and implement web application firewalls to filter malicious requests. The mitigation strategy should also include user education to prevent social engineering attacks that could leverage this vulnerability. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to ensure that similar vulnerabilities are not present in other components of the ClearPass platform or related systems. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication and privileged access management controls to reduce the impact of potential credential compromise.