CVE-2016-1297 in ACE
Summary
by MITRE
The Device Manager GUI in Cisco Application Control Engine (ACE) 4710 A5 before A5(3.1) allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended RBAC restrictions and execute arbitrary CLI commands with admin privileges via an unspecified parameter in a POST request, aka Bug ID CSCul84801.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/15/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2016-1297 represents a critical authorization bypass flaw within Cisco's Application Control Engine (ACE) 4710 A5 appliance. This issue specifically affects the Device Manager GUI component of the ACE platform, which serves as the primary administrative interface for configuring and managing the application control engine. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to A5(3.1) and allows remote authenticated attackers to escalate their privileges and execute arbitrary command line interface commands with full administrative rights. The flaw manifests through an unspecified parameter within a POST request that is processed by the Device Manager GUI, enabling attackers who have valid authentication credentials to circumvent the intended role-based access controls that should restrict user permissions.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized users to access resources or perform actions beyond their designated privileges. This particular flaw constitutes a privilege escalation vulnerability where legitimate users can exploit a weakness in the input validation or parameter handling within the web interface to gain administrative access. The attack vector requires remote access with valid authentication credentials, making it particularly concerning as it leverages existing legitimate user sessions to achieve unauthorized administrative actions. The vulnerability specifically targets the web-based administrative interface rather than direct system access, which means that attackers must first establish a valid session before attempting to exploit the privilege escalation mechanism.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with complete administrative control over the affected Cisco ACE appliance. Once exploited, unauthorized users can modify network policies, access sensitive configuration data, manipulate traffic control rules, and potentially disrupt network services. The ability to execute arbitrary CLI commands with admin privileges means that attackers can perform actions such as adding or removing users, modifying firewall rules, accessing logs, and potentially compromising the entire network infrastructure managed by the appliance. This vulnerability essentially undermines the security model of the appliance by allowing authenticated users to bypass the intended security boundaries that separate different user roles and privilege levels.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including privilege escalation and command execution. The attack requires an initial authenticated session, which aligns with the ATT&CK technique of valid accounts, but then leverages the privilege escalation capability to move from a standard user account to administrative privileges. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring for unusual command execution patterns as part of their defensive measures. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and parameter handling in web applications, particularly those that manage administrative functions. Security controls should include regular patch management processes, network monitoring for suspicious administrative activity, and the implementation of principle of least privilege access controls to limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities. Organizations using Cisco ACE appliances should prioritize immediate patching to A5(3.1) or later versions to address this critical security weakness and prevent unauthorized administrative access to their network control infrastructure.