CVE-2014-7996 in Unified Computing System
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the web framework in Cisco Integrated Management Controller in Cisco Unified Computing System allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users, aka Bug ID CSCuq45477.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/01/2019
The CVE-2014-7996 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the web framework of Cisco Integrated Management Controller component in Cisco Unified Computing System. This vulnerability resides in the authentication and session management mechanisms that govern user interactions with the web interface, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system's trust model. The vulnerability specifically affects the way the system handles authentication tokens and session validation during web-based administrative operations, allowing unauthorized parties to perform actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent.
The technical exploitation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of HTTP requests that are automatically executed by a victim's browser when they visit a malicious website or interact with compromised content. The Integrated Management Controller's web interface fails to properly validate the origin of requests or implement sufficient anti-CSRF token mechanisms, enabling attackers to craft malicious requests that leverage existing authenticated sessions. This flaw operates at the application layer of the OSI model, specifically targeting the web application's session management and request validation processes. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments, as attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized administrative access to computing infrastructure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it enables attackers to perform arbitrary administrative actions within the Cisco Unified Computing System environment. Successful exploitation could allow threat actors to modify system configurations, create or modify user accounts, access sensitive data, or even disrupt service availability. The compromised system could become a persistent backdoor for further attacks within the network infrastructure, potentially leading to lateral movement and broader security breaches. The vulnerability affects the entire scope of the Cisco Unified Computing System management interface, making it a critical concern for enterprise environments that rely on this infrastructure for data center operations and server management.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-7996 should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within the web application framework. Organizations should ensure that all state-changing operations require proper anti-CSRF tokens that are validated server-side and are unique per session. Network segmentation and access control measures can help limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, while regular security updates and patches should be applied immediately upon availability from Cisco. The implementation of web application firewalls and security monitoring solutions can help detect anomalous request patterns that may indicate CSRF attack attempts. Additionally, administrators should conduct regular security assessments of management interfaces and implement principle of least privilege access controls to minimize the potential damage from successful exploitation attempts.