CVE-2014-8022 in Identity Services Engine Software
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Cisco Identity Services Engine allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via input to unspecified web pages, aka Bug IDs CSCur69835 and CSCur69776.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/11/2022
The Cisco Identity Services Engine represents a critical component in enterprise network security infrastructure, serving as a centralized policy management platform that controls network access and authentication. This vulnerability affects the web-based management interface of the ISE platform, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise the entire security ecosystem. The presence of multiple XSS vulnerabilities within this core security component presents a particularly dangerous scenario where attackers can potentially undermine the very security controls designed to protect enterprise networks.
The technical flaw manifests through insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web interface of the Cisco Identity Services Engine. Attackers can inject malicious scripts through unspecified web pages that process user input without proper sanitization, allowing arbitrary HTML and JavaScript code execution within the context of authenticated user sessions. These vulnerabilities specifically affect the web management interface, where legitimate users interact with the system to configure policies, manage users, and monitor network access. The lack of proper input validation creates persistent XSS vectors that can be exploited across multiple pages within the web application framework.
The operational impact of these vulnerabilities extends far beyond simple script injection, as they can be leveraged to escalate privileges and compromise the entire security infrastructure. An attacker who successfully exploits these XSS vulnerabilities can potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or execute arbitrary commands within the context of the victim's session. This capability allows for privilege escalation attacks that could enable unauthorized access to sensitive network configuration data, user credentials, and policy management functions. The vulnerabilities are particularly concerning because they affect the management interface of a security device, potentially allowing attackers to bypass the very security controls the device is designed to enforce.
Cisco has classified these vulnerabilities as affecting the web-based management interface of the Identity Services Engine, with specific references to Bug IDs CSCur69835 and CSCur69776. The attack vectors are characterized by the ability to inject malicious content through web forms, URL parameters, or other input mechanisms within the web application. These vulnerabilities align with CWE-79, which describes Cross-Site Scripting flaws in web applications, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script execution through web interfaces. The vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where the ISE platform controls critical network access policies and user authentication mechanisms, making them prime targets for sophisticated attackers seeking to establish persistent access to corporate networks.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches from Cisco, implementing web application firewalls to filter malicious input, and conducting thorough security assessments of the ISE environment. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts, while user access controls should be reviewed to limit the impact of potential compromise. The vulnerabilities demonstrate the critical importance of input validation in security-critical applications and highlight the need for comprehensive security testing of management interfaces in enterprise security infrastructure.