CVE-2016-6419 in FirePOWER Management Center
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in Cisco Firepower Management Center 4.10.3 through 5.4.0 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary SQL commands via unspecified vectors, aka Bug ID CSCur25485.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/26/2024
The CVE-2016-6419 vulnerability represents a critical SQL injection flaw discovered in Cisco Firepower Management Center software versions 4.10.3 through 5.4.0. This vulnerability resides within the web-based management interface of the Firepower system, which serves as the central control point for network security policies and threat management across enterprise environments. The issue specifically affects organizations that rely on Cisco's next-generation firewall solutions for their network security infrastructure, creating a significant attack surface that could compromise the entire security ecosystem. The vulnerability was identified as Bug ID CSCur25485, indicating it was tracked within Cisco's internal vulnerability management system and represents a well-documented security weakness in their security appliance software stack.
The technical flaw manifests through improper input validation mechanisms within the Firepower Management Center's web application layer. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can manipulate database queries by injecting malicious SQL commands through unspecified vectors within the application's user interface or API endpoints. This occurs when user-supplied input is directly concatenated into SQL statements without adequate sanitization or parameterization, allowing attackers to manipulate the underlying database operations. The vulnerability affects the authentication and authorization mechanisms of the management interface, potentially enabling attackers to escalate privileges, extract sensitive configuration data, or modify security policies. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests multiple entry points within the web application where input validation fails, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it may be exploitable through various user interaction methods.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data theft, as it provides attackers with the capability to execute arbitrary SQL commands on the underlying database server. This could result in complete compromise of the Firepower Management Center, allowing attackers to access all security policies, network configurations, and threat intelligence data stored within the system. Organizations using this platform could face unauthorized access to critical network security controls, potentially enabling attackers to disable security features, modify firewall rules, or establish persistent backdoors within their network infrastructure. The vulnerability also poses significant risk to compliance requirements, as it could lead to data breaches that violate regulatory standards such as pci dss, hipaa, and soc 2. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain persistent access to network monitoring data, potentially enabling them to avoid detection while conducting long-term reconnaissance activities against the organization's network infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-6419 should focus on immediate software updates and network segmentation measures. Organizations must prioritize upgrading their Firepower Management Center installations to versions that contain the patched SQL injection protections, typically released as part of Cisco's regular security updates or emergency advisories. Network administrators should implement additional layers of protection such as web application firewalls and database activity monitoring systems to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-89 which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws, and the attack patterns associated with it correspond to ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol traffic. Security teams should also conduct thorough network segmentation to limit access to the Firepower Management Center to only authorized personnel and implement strict access controls through multi-factor authentication. Additionally, organizations should perform comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any other potentially unpatched systems within their network that might be vulnerable to similar SQL injection attacks, as the presence of this vulnerability may indicate broader security weaknesses in the organization's overall security posture.