CVE-2016-1442 in Prime Infrastructure
Summary
by MITRE
The administrative web interface in Cisco Prime Infrastructure (PI) before 3.1.1 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary commands via crafted field values, aka Bug ID CSCuy96280.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/01/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-1442 affects Cisco Prime Infrastructure version 3.1.1 and earlier, representing a critical command execution flaw within the administrative web interface. This issue enables remote authenticated attackers to inject and execute arbitrary commands on the affected system, potentially compromising the entire infrastructure management platform. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the web interface components that process user-supplied data through various form fields and parameters. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious input values that bypass normal validation checks and are subsequently processed by the underlying system without proper security controls.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves improper handling of user input within the administrative web interface of Cisco Prime Infrastructure. When authenticated users submit data through specific fields in the web interface, the system fails to adequately validate or sanitize the input before processing. This allows attackers to inject command sequences that get executed within the context of the web application's privileges, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The flaw specifically affects the way the application handles field values during administrative operations, creating a path for command injection attacks that can be leveraged from remote locations.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses severe risks to organizations relying on Cisco Prime Infrastructure for network management and monitoring. The ability to execute arbitrary commands remotely means attackers can gain full administrative control over the infrastructure management platform, potentially leading to data breaches, service disruption, and lateral movement within the network. The remote nature of the attack vector means that unauthorized individuals can exploit this vulnerability from outside the organization's network perimeter, making it particularly dangerous for organizations with limited network segmentation. This vulnerability directly impacts the CIA triad by compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the managed infrastructure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Cisco Prime Infrastructure version 3.1.1 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit administrative access to the web interface. Regular security assessments and monitoring of administrative interfaces should be conducted to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-77 and CWE-94 categories related to command injection and code execution flaws, and maps to ATT&CK techniques such as T1059 for command and script execution and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and input validation controls to provide additional defense-in-depth measures against similar vulnerabilities.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and sanitization in web applications, particularly those handling administrative functions. The flaw represents a classic command injection vulnerability that could be exploited to gain unauthorized access to critical network infrastructure management systems. Security teams should prioritize patch management processes and maintain awareness of similar vulnerabilities in other network management platforms to prevent similar incidents. The impact extends beyond immediate system compromise to potentially affect the entire network infrastructure that relies on the compromised Prime Infrastructure platform for monitoring and management operations.