CVE-2014-9611 in Netsweeper
Summary
by MITRE
Netsweeper before 4.0.5 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and create arbitrary accounts and policies via a request to webadmin/nslam/index.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/27/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-9611 affects Netsweeper versions prior to 4.0.5 and represents a critical authentication bypass flaw that exposes the web administration interface to unauthorized access. This vulnerability specifically targets the webadmin/nslam/index.php endpoint, which serves as a critical control point for user account management and policy configuration within the Netsweeper security platform. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms that fail to properly authenticate requests before processing administrative operations, creating a pathway for remote attackers to execute privileged actions without proper credentials.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a lack of proper authorization checks within the web administration interface, allowing malicious actors to manipulate the authentication flow and gain elevated privileges. Attackers can exploit this weakness to create arbitrary user accounts with administrative privileges and establish custom security policies that can be used to maintain persistent access or modify network security controls. The vulnerability exists because the application fails to validate whether incoming requests originate from authenticated administrators before executing administrative functions, effectively removing the authentication barrier that should protect sensitive administrative operations.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on Netsweeper for network security enforcement. Successful exploitation enables attackers to gain complete administrative control over the security appliance, potentially allowing them to bypass all network security controls, monitor traffic, modify firewall rules, and create backdoor access points. The impact extends beyond immediate unauthorized access as attackers can establish persistent administrative accounts that remain undetected for extended periods, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where network security is paramount. This flaw directly violates security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and represents a critical failure in the principle of least privilege enforcement.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Netsweeper version 4.0.5 or later, which contains proper authentication checks and access control mechanisms. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to the webadmin interface to trusted administrative networks only. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security audits of their Netsweeper deployments to identify any unauthorized accounts or policies that may have been created through exploitation of this vulnerability. The remediation process should include monitoring for suspicious administrative activities and implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative access to reduce the risk of unauthorized access. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and privilege escalation, highlighting the need for comprehensive security controls beyond simple patching.