CVE-2016-1406 in Prime Infrastructure
Summary
by MITRE
The API web interface in Cisco Prime Infrastructure before 3.1 and Cisco Evolved Programmable Network Manager before 1.2.4 allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended RBAC restrictions and obtain sensitive information, and consequently gain privileges, via crafted JSON data, aka Bug ID CSCuy12409.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/22/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-1406 represents a critical authorization bypass flaw in Cisco Prime Infrastructure and Cisco Evolved Programmable Network Manager products. This issue affects versions prior to 3.1 for Prime Infrastructure and 1.2.4 for Evolved Programmable Network Manager, where the API web interface fails to properly enforce role-based access control mechanisms. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of JSON data structures that are processed by the application's authentication and authorization subsystems, allowing maliciously crafted requests to circumvent intended security boundaries.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of JSON payloads that are sent to the affected API endpoints. When authenticated users submit specially crafted JSON data, the system processes these requests without adequate validation of user permissions or role memberships. This weakness enables attackers to escalate their privileges and access sensitive information that should be restricted to higher-privileged users. The flaw specifically impacts the application's ability to properly interpret and enforce access control policies, creating a pathway for unauthorized data disclosure and privilege escalation.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to network security infrastructure management. Attackers who can authenticate to the system can leverage this flaw to gain access to configuration data, user credentials, network topology information, and other sensitive operational details. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure to include potential system compromise and unauthorized network control. Organizations relying on Cisco Prime Infrastructure for network management face the risk of unauthorized access to critical network operational data, potentially enabling attackers to map network structures and identify vulnerabilities for further exploitation.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting through API manipulation. The attack vector requires only authenticated access, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by insiders or compromised legitimate users. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor patches released for versions 3.1 and 1.2.4 respectively, implementing additional API request validation controls, and monitoring for suspicious API access patterns. Network segmentation and additional authentication layers should be considered as defensive measures to limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities in the event of exploitation.