CVE-2014-9921 in Analysis
Summary
by MITRE
Information disclosure vulnerability in McAfee (now Intel Security) Cloud Analysis and Deconstructive Services (CADS) 1.0.0.3x, 1.0.0.4d and earlier allows remote unauthenticated users to view, add, and remove users via a configuration error.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/06/2020
The CVE-2014-9921 vulnerability represents a critical information disclosure flaw within McAfee's Cloud Analysis and Deconstructive Services (CADS) platform, which was later acquired by Intel Security. This vulnerability affects specific versions of the CADS software including 1.0.0.3x and 1.0.0.4d and earlier releases, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on this cloud-based threat analysis service. The flaw stems from a fundamental configuration error that exposes administrative functions to remote attackers without proper authentication requirements, fundamentally undermining the security model of the platform.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through a misconfiguration in the application's access control mechanisms, allowing unauthorized users to perform administrative operations through direct API calls or web interface interactions. Attackers can exploit this weakness to view user accounts, add new users to the system, and remove existing users without possessing valid credentials or authorization. This configuration error essentially creates a backdoor administrative interface that bypasses normal authentication protocols, enabling malicious actors to manipulate the user management functions of the CADS platform. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited remotely, making it particularly dangerous for cloud-based services where network exposure is inherent.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with persistent administrative capabilities within the affected system. Organizations utilizing CADS for cloud-based threat analysis and malware deconstruction could face complete compromise of their user management infrastructure, potentially leading to unauthorized access to threat intelligence data, manipulation of analysis results, and disruption of security operations. The ability to add and remove users creates a persistent threat vector where attackers can establish long-term access to the platform while simultaneously undermining the integrity of user access controls. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and can result in unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion across the entire user base managed by the service.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-9921 should prioritize immediate patching of affected CADS versions to address the underlying configuration error. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to CADS services, enforce strict firewall rules to restrict external access to administrative interfaces, and conduct thorough security audits of all cloud service configurations. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1078 (Valid Accounts) as attackers can leverage the compromised administrative capabilities to maintain persistent access. Additionally, implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative functions, regular security monitoring, and network intrusion detection systems can provide additional layers of protection against exploitation of similar configuration flaws in cloud-based security services. Organizations should also consider conducting comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their cloud security infrastructure to identify and remediate similar misconfigurations that could provide unauthorized access to critical security functions.