CVE-2016-6417 in FireSIGHT
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Cisco FireSIGHT System Software 4.10.2 through 6.1.0 and Firepower Management Center allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users, aka Bug ID CSCva21636.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/29/2019
The CVE-2016-6417 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting Cisco FireSIGHT System Software versions 4.10.2 through 6.1.0 and the Firepower Management Center platform. This vulnerability resides in the web-based management interfaces of Cisco's security appliances, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on these systems for network protection. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the authentication mechanisms of legitimate users without their knowledge or consent, effectively allowing unauthorized actions to be performed on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it affects enterprise-grade security appliances that typically serve as central points of network defense, making the potential impact of exploitation severe for organizational security postures.
The technical root cause of this CSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the web interfaces of these Cisco security appliances. When users authenticate to the FireSIGHT management systems, the applications fail to adequately verify that subsequent requests originate from legitimate sources within the same session context. This weakness allows attackers to craft malicious web pages or send specially crafted requests that leverage the authenticated session of a victim user to perform unauthorized administrative actions. The vulnerability operates through the exploitation of the trust relationship between the web application and the user's browser, where the application cannot distinguish between legitimate user-initiated requests and those generated by malicious third parties. This flaw is classified under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.002 for Initial Access through Spearphishing Attachments, as attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized administrative access to security appliances.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it can lead to complete compromise of the security appliance and potentially the entire network infrastructure it protects. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could perform critical administrative functions such as modifying firewall rules, changing system configurations, disabling security features, or even creating backdoor access points within the network. The vulnerability affects the core management capabilities of FireSIGHT systems, potentially allowing attackers to bypass security controls that are meant to protect against external threats. Organizations using these systems face significant risk of unauthorized network access, data exfiltration, and disruption of security operations, as the compromised appliance may be used to monitor or manipulate network traffic. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that FireSIGHT systems are typically deployed as central management points for network security policies, making them prime targets for attackers seeking to gain persistent access to enterprise networks.
Organizations should prioritize immediate mitigation of this vulnerability through the application of Cisco's security patches and updates, which address the CSRF token validation deficiencies in the affected software versions. Network administrators should implement additional monitoring controls to detect unusual administrative activities that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on unexpected configuration changes or rule modifications. The implementation of additional authentication controls such as two-factor authentication for administrative access can provide defense-in-depth against potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider network segmentation strategies to limit the potential impact if an attacker successfully compromises a FireSIGHT management system, ensuring that even if one system is breached, the attacker cannot easily move laterally through the network infrastructure. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any remaining instances of the vulnerable software versions within the organization's infrastructure, as this vulnerability could potentially be leveraged for broader network compromise beyond the immediate appliance.