CVE-2015-6346 in Secure Access Control Server
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Cisco Secure Access Control Server (ACS) 5.7(0.15) allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/25/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-6346 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Cisco Secure Access Control Server version 5.7(0.15) that exposes organizations to significant web application security risks. This vulnerability resides in the authentication and access control mechanisms of the ACS platform, which serves as a central component for network access control and user authentication in enterprise environments. The affected system processes user input through URL parameters without adequate sanitization or validation, creating an exploitable entry point for malicious actors seeking to compromise the web interface of the ACS server.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when remote attackers craft malicious URLs containing embedded script code that gets executed within the context of authenticated user sessions. This flaw specifically affects the web-based management interface of the Cisco ACS system, where user-supplied parameters are not properly filtered or escaped before being rendered back to the browser. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the URL processing logic, allowing attackers to inject HTML tags and JavaScript code that executes in the victim's browser session. This type of flaw falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities where untrusted data is incorporated into web pages without proper sanitization.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-6346 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal authentication tokens, redirect users to malicious sites, or execute arbitrary commands within the context of the affected web application. Given that Cisco ACS servers typically manage network access control for enterprise environments, successful exploitation could provide attackers with unauthorized access to network resources, potentially leading to broader network compromise. The vulnerability affects the authentication and authorization mechanisms that are fundamental to network security, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that rely on Cisco ACS for user access control and network segmentation. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access to the network infrastructure by stealing session cookies or executing malicious scripts that maintain access even after initial exploitation.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through official Cisco security advisories and patches that address the input validation issues within the ACS web interface. The mitigation strategy should include implementing web application firewalls to filter malicious requests, conducting comprehensive input validation for all user-supplied data, and applying network segmentation to limit the impact of potential exploitation. Security teams should also consider monitoring web application logs for suspicious URL patterns and implementing proper access controls to limit exposure of the vulnerable web interface to untrusted networks. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which describes the use of malicious web content to gain initial access to systems, and represents a critical weakness in the enterprise network access control infrastructure that requires immediate attention to prevent potential compromise of network security controls.