CVE-2017-3835 in Identity Services Engine
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the sponsor portal of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to access notices owned by other users, because of SQL Injection. More Information: CSCvb15627. Known Affected Releases: 1.4(0.908).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/25/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3835 resides within Cisco Identity Services Engine's sponsor portal component, representing a critical security flaw that undermines user privacy and data integrity. This issue manifests as an insufficient authorization mechanism that permits authenticated attackers to exploit SQL injection techniques to access sensitive information belonging to other users within the same system. The vulnerability specifically affects Cisco ISE version 1.4(0.908) and potentially other affected releases, making it a significant concern for organizations relying on this identity management platform for network access control and user authentication services.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through SQL injection attacks that bypass proper access controls within the sponsor portal. An authenticated attacker can manipulate the SQL queries used by the application to retrieve user notices and data, effectively allowing them to extract information from other users' accounts. This flaw stems from inadequate input validation and parameter sanitization within the application's database interaction layer, enabling malicious SQL commands to be executed against the underlying database. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-89 as SQL Injection, which is a well-documented weakness that allows attackers to manipulate database queries through untrusted input.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it represents a fundamental breakdown in the principle of least privilege and user isolation within the Cisco ISE environment. Organizations utilizing this platform may face unauthorized access to sensitive network access policies, user credentials, and authentication logs that could be leveraged for further attacks. The compromise of one user's notices could potentially expose network access patterns, user behavior data, and authentication information that attackers could use for lateral movement within the network infrastructure. This vulnerability directly impacts the confidentiality and integrity aspects of the CIA triad, as it allows unauthorized data access and potential data manipulation.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Cisco security patches and updates that address the SQL injection vulnerability in the sponsor portal. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of the affected portal to only authorized personnel. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and parameterized queries in the application code would prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in the future. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1078 for Valid Accounts and T1566 for Phishing, as attackers could leverage the compromised access to gather intelligence for more sophisticated attacks. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify potential authorization bypass vulnerabilities in similar network access control systems.