CVE-2015-6259 in Integrated Management Controller
Summary
by MITRE
The JavaServer Pages (JSP) component in Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC) Supervisor before 1.0.0.1 and UCS Director (formerly Cloupia Unified Infrastructure Controller) before 5.2.0.1 allows remote attackers to write to arbitrary files via crafted HTTP requests, aka Bug IDs CSCus36435 and CSCus62625.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/14/2022
The vulnerability CVE-2015-6259 represents a critical file write flaw in Cisco's management software ecosystem affecting both the Integrated Management Controller Supervisor and UCS Director platforms. This issue stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms within the JavaServer Pages component that processes HTTP requests. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious HTTP requests that bypass normal file system access controls, enabling them to write arbitrary files to the target system. The vulnerability affects versions prior to 1.0.0.1 for IMC Supervisor and 5.2.0.1 for UCS Director, indicating a widespread impact across multiple Cisco management solutions. The flaw resides in the improper sanitization of user-supplied data during HTTP request processing, creating a path for unauthorized file system modifications.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic path traversal and file write attack vector where the JSP component fails to properly validate file paths and content submitted through HTTP requests. When the system processes these crafted requests, it does not adequately filter or sanitize the input parameters that specify file locations and content to be written. This allows attackers to specify arbitrary file paths within the target system's file hierarchy, potentially enabling them to write malicious files to critical system locations such as web application directories, configuration files, or even system executables. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the application layer and requires no authentication, making it accessible to remote attackers who can exploit it from outside the network perimeter.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to organizations relying on Cisco's management infrastructure, as it can lead to complete system compromise and persistent backdoor access. Attackers who successfully exploit this flaw can potentially deploy web shells, modify system configurations, or inject malicious code into the web application environment. The impact extends beyond simple file creation as it can enable privilege escalation attacks, data exfiltration, and disruption of critical management functions. Organizations using affected versions of IMC Supervisor or UCS Director face significant exposure to lateral movement attacks, where compromised management systems can serve as launching points for attacks against other network components. The vulnerability's remote exploitability without authentication means that attackers can target these systems from anywhere on the internet, making it particularly dangerous for organizations with exposed management interfaces.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on immediate version upgrades to the patched releases of both IMC Supervisor and UCS Director, as these contain the necessary input validation and sanitization fixes. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to management interfaces, deploy web application firewalls to monitor and filter HTTP requests, and conduct thorough security assessments of their management infrastructure. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-22 Path Traversal and CWE-74 Injection flaws, representing a combination of path manipulation and input validation failures that enable unauthorized file system modifications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1078 Valid Accounts, as it enables attackers to execute arbitrary code through file injection and potentially maintain persistent access to management systems. Organizations should also implement monitoring for unusual file creation patterns and unauthorized modifications to system directories to detect potential exploitation attempts.