CVE-2015-6317 in Identity Services Engine
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) before 2.0 allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended web-resource access restrictions via a direct request, aka Bug ID CSCuu45926.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/06/2022
The Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) version 2.0 and earlier contains a critical access control vulnerability that enables authenticated attackers to bypass intended web-resource access restrictions through direct requests. This vulnerability resides within the web-based administrative interface of the ISE platform, which is designed to manage network access control policies and user authentication. The flaw specifically affects the authorization mechanisms that govern access to various administrative functions and resources within the ISE environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of access control checks when processing direct HTTP requests to the web interface. When authenticated users make requests directly to specific URLs or endpoints without following the proper authorization workflow, the system fails to properly verify whether the user has appropriate privileges for the requested resource. This represents a classic authorization bypass flaw that allows attackers to escalate their privileges and access restricted administrative functions. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with unauthorized access to sensitive administrative functions within the ISE environment. Attackers can leverage this weakness to access network access control policies, user authentication data, and other critical configuration information. The vulnerability enables privilege escalation attacks where low-privileged authenticated users can gain access to high-privileged administrative functions, potentially leading to complete compromise of the network access control infrastructure. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting, as the attack exploits legitimate authentication mechanisms to gain unauthorized access.
Organizations using affected versions of Cisco ISE should immediately implement mitigations including applying the official Cisco security patches released for this vulnerability. The recommended remediation involves upgrading to Cisco ISE version 2.0 or later, which includes proper authorization checks and access control enforcement. Network administrators should also implement additional monitoring and logging of administrative access attempts to detect potential exploitation attempts. Security controls should be enhanced to enforce proper access control validation for all web interface requests, regardless of authentication status. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of implementing defense-in-depth strategies and proper access control validation in network infrastructure platforms, as highlighted in industry best practices for secure network management systems.