CVE-2015-4196 in Unified Communications Domain Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Platform Software before 4.4.5 in Cisco Unified Communications Domain Manager (CDM) 8.x has a hardcoded password for a privileged account, which allows remote attackers to obtain root access by leveraging knowledge of this password and entering it in an SSH session, aka Bug ID CSCuq45546.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/23/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-4196 represents a critical security flaw in Cisco Unified Communications Domain Manager software versions prior to 4.4.5. This issue affects the 8.x platform software releases and stems from a fundamental design weakness involving hardcoded credentials within the system. The vulnerability specifically targets a privileged account within the Cisco CDM platform, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by remote attackers to gain unauthorized administrative access. The flaw exists in the platform software component of Cisco's unified communications infrastructure, making it particularly concerning for organizations relying on these systems for their communication networks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a hardcoded password that is embedded within the software code of the Cisco CDM platform. This hardcoded credential is associated with a privileged account that possesses root-level access permissions within the system. When attackers acquire knowledge of this hardcoded password through various means such as public disclosure, reverse engineering, or other reconnaissance activities, they can establish an SSH session to the target system. The SSH protocol provides a secure channel for remote access, but in this case, the authentication mechanism is compromised due to the predictable nature of the hardcoded password. This creates an attack vector that allows unauthorized users to bypass normal authentication procedures and assume administrative control over the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations utilizing affected Cisco CDM platforms. Remote attackers who successfully exploit this weakness can obtain complete root access to the system, enabling them to execute arbitrary commands, modify system configurations, access sensitive data, and potentially establish persistent backdoors. The compromised system becomes a potential staging ground for further attacks within the network infrastructure, as attackers can leverage the elevated privileges to move laterally across the communication domain. This vulnerability directly violates fundamental security principles by embedding credentials that should remain dynamic and secure, creating a permanent access point that remains valid until the software is properly updated. The impact extends beyond immediate system compromise to potentially affect the entire unified communications infrastructure, including voice and video services, messaging systems, and associated network components.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement comprehensive mitigation strategies to protect their communication infrastructure. The primary remediation involves upgrading the Cisco Unified Communications Domain Manager software to version 4.4.5 or later, which addresses the hardcoded password issue through proper credential management practices. System administrators should also conduct thorough security assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts that may have occurred prior to the patch deployment. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit the potential impact of any successful exploitation attempts, while implementing robust monitoring and logging mechanisms to detect unauthorized SSH access attempts. Additionally, organizations should review their overall security posture for other hardcoded credentials and ensure proper credential rotation procedures are implemented across all platform components. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of adhering to security best practices such as those outlined in the CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) catalog under weakness category CWE-798, which specifically addresses the use of hardcoded passwords, and aligns with ATT&CK framework techniques related to credential access and privilege escalation. The incident underscores the critical need for proper software development lifecycle security practices and regular security assessments to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced into production systems.