CVE-2015-3653 in ClearPass Policy Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Aruba Networks ClearPass Policy Manager before 6.4.7 and 6.5.x before 6.5.2 allows remote authenticated administrators to write to arbitrary files within the underlying operating system and consequently cause a denial of service or gain privileges by leveraging incorrect permission checking.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/11/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-3653 affects Aruba Networks ClearPass Policy Manager versions prior to 6.4.7 and 6.5.x versions before 6.5.2, representing a critical authorization flaw that enables remote authenticated administrators to execute arbitrary file operations on the underlying operating system. This issue stems from insufficient permission validation mechanisms within the policy manager's file handling processes, creating a privilege escalation vector that can be exploited by malicious actors with administrative credentials. The vulnerability specifically targets the authorization controls that should prevent administrative users from accessing system files outside their designated operational boundaries.
The technical flaw manifests through improper input validation and permission checking mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize file paths and access requests submitted by authenticated administrators. When legitimate administrative users submit requests for file operations, the system does not adequately verify whether the requested operations fall within the permitted scope of their administrative privileges. This weakness allows attackers to manipulate file system access requests to target system-critical files, potentially enabling them to overwrite configuration files, inject malicious code, or modify system binaries that could lead to complete system compromise.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for organizations relying on Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager for network access control and policy enforcement. Remote authenticated administrators can leverage this flaw to either cause denial of service conditions by corrupting essential system files or escalate their privileges to gain root or administrative access to the underlying operating system. The potential for privilege escalation means that attackers could gain unauthorized access to sensitive network infrastructure, user credentials, and other critical system resources that the policy manager typically protects. This vulnerability undermines the fundamental security model of the system by allowing administrative users to bypass normal access controls.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including privilege escalation and persistence mechanisms, as attackers can use the arbitrary file write capabilities to establish backdoors or maintain long-term access to compromised systems. From a CWE perspective, this vulnerability maps to CWE-22, which describes improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, and CWE-73, which addresses external control of file name or path. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates, implementing network segmentation to limit administrative access, and conducting thorough security assessments of administrative user permissions. Additionally, monitoring for unusual file system activities and implementing robust access control policies can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and privilege separation in security-critical applications, particularly those managing network access control and policy enforcement functions.