CVE-2015-2959 in Netflow Analyzer
Summary
by MITRE
Zoho NetFlow Analyzer build 10250 and earlier does not check for administrative authorization, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information, modify passwords, or remove accounts by leveraging the guest role.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/05/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-2959 affects Zoho NetFlow Analyzer versions 10250 and earlier, representing a critical authorization flaw that undermines the security posture of network monitoring systems. This issue stems from insufficient access control mechanisms within the application's authentication framework, allowing unauthenticated or low-privilege users to exploit the system's guest role for unauthorized administrative actions. The flaw specifically targets the application's failure to properly validate administrative privileges before executing sensitive operations, creating a pathway for remote attackers to escalate their privileges and gain full control over user accounts and system configurations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic privilege escalation weakness that aligns with CWE-285, which addresses insufficient authorization in software systems. Attackers can leverage the guest role's limited access to perform actions that should be restricted to administrators, including viewing sensitive network data, modifying user credentials, and deleting accounts. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the principle of least privilege, where the system fails to enforce proper access controls that would normally prevent guest users from accessing administrative functions. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can target the system from external networks without requiring physical access or prior authentication credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft to encompass complete system compromise and potential network infiltration. Remote attackers who successfully exploit this flaw can obtain sensitive network flow data that would normally be restricted to authorized administrators, potentially exposing critical infrastructure information to unauthorized parties. The ability to modify passwords and remove accounts creates additional risks including account takeover scenarios, denial of service conditions, and the potential for establishing persistent access points within the network monitoring infrastructure. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations relying on Zoho NetFlow Analyzer for network traffic analysis and security monitoring, as it undermines the integrity of their network visibility tools.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of Zoho NetFlow Analyzer that address the authorization bypass vulnerability. The remediation process should involve comprehensive access control reviews to ensure that administrative functions are properly restricted to authorized personnel only. Security teams must also implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts, while establishing regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar authorization flaws in other network management systems. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1566 (Phishing for Information) as attackers may leverage compromised guest accounts to gain administrative access. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as multi-factor authentication, regular privilege reviews, and network access controls to prevent exploitation of similar authorization flaws in their infrastructure.