CVE-2015-0611 in TelePresence IX5000
Summary
by MITRE
The administrative web-management portal in Cisco IX 8 (.0.1) and earlier on Cisco TelePresence IX5000 devices does not properly restrict the device-recovery account's access, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain HelpDesk-equivalent privileges by leveraging device-recovery authentication, aka Bug ID CSCus74174.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/09/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-0611 affects Cisco TelePresence IX5000 devices running firmware versions 8.0.1 and earlier, specifically targeting the administrative web-management portal. This issue represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the security model of the device by allowing unauthorized privilege escalation through legitimate authentication mechanisms. The vulnerability resides in the improper restriction of access controls for the device-recovery account, which is designed as a fallback mechanism for system recovery operations but should be strictly limited in its privileges.
The technical flaw manifests in the insufficient validation of privileges when the device-recovery account authenticates through the web management interface. Typically, device-recovery accounts should be restricted to minimal operational functions necessary for system recovery, yet this vulnerability allows authenticated users to escalate their privileges to HelpDesk-equivalent access levels. This occurs because the web portal fails to properly enforce the intended privilege boundaries that should separate recovery functions from administrative management capabilities, creating an access control bypass that can be exploited by remote authenticated attackers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables attackers who can authenticate to the device to gain elevated privileges without requiring additional authentication factors or exploiting other system weaknesses. The HelpDesk-equivalent privileges typically include access to device configuration settings, system monitoring capabilities, and potentially the ability to modify device behavior or access sensitive operational data. This privilege escalation capability transforms a legitimate recovery account into a potential entry point for more extensive system compromise, particularly when combined with other vulnerabilities or when the device is accessible over untrusted networks.
Organizations deploying Cisco TelePresence IX5000 devices should prioritize immediate remediation through firmware updates provided by Cisco to address this vulnerability. The fix typically involves implementing proper privilege validation mechanisms within the web management portal to ensure that device-recovery accounts cannot be leveraged to gain unauthorized administrative access. Security teams should also implement network segmentation to limit access to these devices to trusted administrative networks only, and consider monitoring for unusual authentication patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and could be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts, as it exploits legitimate authentication mechanisms to gain elevated privileges.