CVE-2017-8916 in CIS-CAT Pro Dashboard
Summary
by MITRE
In Center for Internet Security CIS-CAT Pro Dashboard before 1.0.4, an authenticated user is able to change an administrative user's e-mail address and send a forgot password email to themselves, thereby gaining administrative access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/31/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8916 affects the Center for Internet Security CIS-CAT Pro Dashboard application version 1.0.3 and earlier, representing a critical authorization and privilege escalation flaw that undermines the security model of the administrative interface. This vulnerability resides within the application's user management and authentication mechanisms, specifically targeting the password reset functionality and user privilege handling. The flaw enables an authenticated user to manipulate administrative accounts through a series of methodical steps that bypass normal access controls.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control checks within the dashboard's administrative user management module. When an authenticated user attempts to modify an administrative user's email address, the application fails to properly verify whether the requesting user possesses the necessary administrative privileges to perform such operations. This weakness creates a path for privilege escalation through social engineering and account manipulation techniques. The vulnerability is further exacerbated by the application's lack of proper session validation and authorization checks when processing password reset requests, allowing malicious actors to send password reset emails to administrative accounts they control.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables full administrative control over the CIS-CAT Pro Dashboard environment. Once an attacker successfully manipulates an administrative user's email address and receives a password reset email, they gain complete control over the dashboard's configuration, user management, and security policy enforcement capabilities. This compromise affects the integrity and confidentiality of all data processed through the dashboard, including sensitive security assessment reports, compliance data, and system configuration information. The vulnerability particularly impacts organizations relying on CIS-CAT Pro for security benchmarking and compliance verification, as attackers can manipulate security assessments and potentially hide their activities within the system.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Function) while demonstrating characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1548.001 (Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism). The flaw represents a classic case of insufficient privilege validation where the application assumes that authenticated users can perform administrative functions without proper authorization checks. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to CIS-CAT Pro Dashboard version 1.0.4 or later, implementing proper access control measures, and conducting thorough security audits of user management functionality. Additionally, network segmentation, monitoring of administrative account activities, and regular penetration testing should be employed to detect and prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in the application's user management systems.