CVE-2016-6408 in Prime Home
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco Prime Home 5.2.0 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via an XML document containing an external entity declaration in conjunction with an entity reference, related to an XML External Entity (XXE) issue, aka Bug ID CSCvb17814.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/24/2019
Cisco Prime Home 5.2.0 contains a critical XML External Entity vulnerability that enables remote attackers to access arbitrary files on the system through carefully crafted XML documents. This vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the application's XML processing functionality, specifically when handling external entity declarations and references. The flaw exists in the way the system processes XML data, allowing malicious actors to construct XML documents that reference external entities, which can then be exploited to read sensitive files from the server filesystem.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with the Common Weakness Enumeration CWE-611, which categorizes it as an XML External Entity Processing weakness. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious XML payloads that contain external entity declarations referencing local files through protocols such as file:// or http://. When the vulnerable system processes these documents, it resolves the external entities and returns the contents of the referenced files, potentially exposing sensitive data including configuration files, credentials, or system information. This XXE vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited without authentication, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with unauthorized access to sensitive system information and potentially allows for further exploitation. Remote attackers can leverage this weakness to extract configuration data, user credentials, or other confidential information stored on the server. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of Cisco Prime Home's data processing capabilities, potentially compromising the integrity and confidentiality of the entire system. Additionally, the attack can be executed from any network location, making it accessible to a wide range of threat actors and increasing the potential for widespread exploitation across different environments.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including disabling external entity processing in all XML parsers, implementing proper input validation and sanitization for XML data, and restricting file access permissions on the system. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be configured to limit access to the affected application, while regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1213 technique for Data from Information Repositories, highlighting the potential for attackers to extract sensitive data through improper input handling. System administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious XML payloads, and conduct regular security updates to ensure the application remains protected against known vulnerabilities.