CVE-2015-6335 in FireSIGHT Management Center
Summary
by MITRE
The policy implementation in Cisco FireSIGHT Management Center 5.3.1.7, 5.4.0.4, and 6.0.0 for VMware allows remote authenticated administrators to bypass intended policy restrictions and execute Linux commands as root via unspecified vectors, aka Bug ID CSCuw12839.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/25/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-6335 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within Cisco FireSIGHT Management Center software versions 5.3.1.7, 5.4.0.4, and 6.0.0 for VMware deployments. This security weakness specifically targets the policy implementation mechanisms that govern access controls and operational restrictions within the management interface. The flaw enables authenticated administrators to circumvent intended security boundaries and execute arbitrary Linux commands with root privileges, fundamentally undermining the system's security model and access control framework. The vulnerability's classification as a privilege escalation issue places it within the scope of CWE-269, which addresses improper privilege management and inadequate access control mechanisms. This particular weakness allows attackers who have already gained administrative access to escalate their privileges beyond what should be permitted by the security policy implementation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through unspecified vectors within the policy enforcement subsystem of the FireSIGHT Management Center. Attackers with legitimate administrative credentials can leverage this flaw to bypass the intended restrictions that should prevent certain administrative operations from being executed with elevated privileges. The ability to execute Linux commands as root represents a severe compromise of the system's integrity and confidentiality, as it allows full control over the underlying operating system and all associated services. This vulnerability directly impacts the principle of least privilege, where users should only have access to resources necessary for their specific roles. The exploitation mechanism likely involves manipulation of policy evaluation logic or command execution pathways that should normally be restricted to privileged operations.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-6335 extends far beyond simple privilege escalation, as it enables attackers to potentially compromise the entire security infrastructure managed by the FireSIGHT system. Once an attacker achieves root-level command execution, they can modify firewall rules, disable security features, access sensitive configuration data, and potentially establish persistent backdoors within the network security infrastructure. This vulnerability undermines the trust model that security administrators rely upon when deploying network security appliances, as it allows an authenticated user to gain unauthorized access to system-level operations that should be restricted to specific administrative roles. The impact is particularly severe in environments where the FireSIGHT Management Center serves as a central point for security policy enforcement and network monitoring operations.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Cisco security patches and updates that address the policy implementation flaw. Network administrators should conduct thorough security assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and monitor system logs for unusual command execution patterns. The mitigation strategy should also include implementing additional access controls and monitoring procedures to detect unauthorized privilege escalation attempts. According to ATT&CK framework methodology, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and potentially to command and control operations that could be used to establish persistent access. Security teams should also consider implementing network segmentation and least privilege access controls to limit the potential damage from such an exploitation scenario, while ensuring that administrative access is properly audited and monitored for suspicious activities.