CVE-2016-6447 in Meeting Server
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in Cisco Meeting Server and Meeting App could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on an affected system. This vulnerability affects the following products: Cisco Meeting Server releases prior to 2.0.1, Acano Server releases prior to 1.8.16 and prior to 1.9.3, Cisco Meeting App releases prior to 1.9.8, Acano Meeting Apps releases prior to 1.8.35. More Information: CSCva75942 CSCvb67878. Known Affected Releases: 1.81.92.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/29/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-6447 represents a critical remote code execution flaw affecting Cisco Meeting Server and Acano Server products, with significant implications for enterprise communication infrastructures. This vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the affected systems' web interface components, specifically in how they process HTTP requests containing malformed parameters. The flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code on the targeted system, bypassing traditional authentication mechanisms and presenting a severe threat to network security. The vulnerability impacts a broad range of products including Cisco Meeting Server versions prior to 2.0.1, Acano Server releases before 1.8.16 and 1.9.3, Cisco Meeting App versions before 1.9.8, and Acano Meeting Apps before 1.8.35, indicating a widespread exposure across unified communications platforms. The affected releases include version 1.81.92.0 which represents a critical baseline for determining system vulnerability status.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through crafted HTTP requests that manipulate the application's parameter handling mechanisms, ultimately leading to code injection at the system level. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain complete control over affected systems, potentially enabling them to install malware, modify system configurations, or establish persistent access points within the network. The vulnerability's remote nature eliminates the need for physical access or prior authentication, making it particularly dangerous for organizations relying on these communication platforms for business-critical operations. The flaw resides in the web server component's failure to properly sanitize user inputs, creating an injection vector that can be exploited through standard network protocols without requiring specialized tools or elevated privileges. This type of vulnerability is classified under CWE-94, which specifically addresses "Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell" and T1071.004 for "Application Layer Protocol: DNS" which attackers often utilize to establish command and control channels following initial exploitation.
Organizations exposed to this vulnerability face substantial operational risks including potential data breaches, service disruption, and unauthorized access to sensitive communication channels. The impact extends beyond immediate system compromise to include potential lateral movement within networks, as attackers may use compromised meeting servers as stepping stones to access other network resources. The vulnerability's exploitation can lead to complete system takeover, allowing attackers to manipulate meeting schedules, access confidential communications, or redirect traffic to malicious endpoints. Security teams must consider the broader implications of such a compromise, particularly in environments where these systems handle sensitive corporate or government communications. The vulnerability's presence in both Cisco and Acano products indicates a systemic issue within unified communications platforms, suggesting that similar flaws may exist in other components of these ecosystems. Organizations should implement immediate network segmentation to isolate affected systems, deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts, and establish comprehensive incident response procedures to address potential compromise scenarios. The vulnerability's classification as a remote code execution flaw places it within the highest severity category, requiring immediate remediation through official vendor patches and security updates.