CVE-2016-1483 in WebEx Meetings Server
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco WebEx Meetings Server 2.6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) by repeatedly accessing the account-validation component of an unspecified service, aka Bug ID CSCuy92704.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/19/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-1483 affects Cisco WebEx Meetings Server version 2.6 and represents a significant denial of service weakness that can be exploited remotely by attackers to consume excessive CPU resources. This vulnerability specifically targets the account-validation component within an unspecified service, creating a condition where repeated access attempts can overwhelm system processing capabilities and render the service unavailable to legitimate users. The flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with resource exhaustion attacks that fall under the broader category of denial of service vulnerabilities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and insufficient rate limiting mechanisms within the account-validation functionality. When remote attackers repeatedly access this component, the system fails to properly throttle or limit the frequency of validation requests, allowing malicious actors to consume disproportionate amounts of CPU cycles. This behavior creates a cascading effect where legitimate service requests may be delayed or denied due to the excessive resource consumption, ultimately leading to service disruption. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires no authentication to exploit, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered by anyone with network access to the affected system.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses substantial risks to organizations relying on Cisco WebEx Meetings Server for their collaboration and meeting infrastructure. The CPU consumption attack can result in complete service unavailability, preventing authorized users from conducting meetings, accessing account information, or utilizing other critical WebEx functionalities. The attack's simplicity and remote nature mean that even a single attacker can effectively disrupt business operations, potentially causing significant productivity losses and communication breakdowns. Organizations may experience service degradation that affects multiple users simultaneously, particularly in environments where WebEx is heavily utilized for business-critical communications.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes resource exhaustion flaws in software systems, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with attack patterns found in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the denial of service tactics. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network-level rate limiting, firewall rules to restrict access to the vulnerable account-validation component, and monitoring for unusual access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. Cisco has released patches and updates to address this vulnerability, and organizations must prioritize applying these security updates to prevent exploitation. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and network segmentation can help reduce the attack surface and limit the potential impact of such attacks on critical business infrastructure.