CVE-2018-0096 in Prime Infrastructure
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the role-based access control (RBAC) functionality of Cisco Prime Infrastructure could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to perform a privilege escalation in which one virtual domain user can view and modify another virtual domain configuration. The vulnerability is due to a failure to properly enforce RBAC for virtual domains. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending an authenticated, crafted HTTP request to a targeted application. An exploit could allow the attacker to bypass RBAC policies on the targeted system to modify a virtual domain and access resources that are not normally accessible. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvg36875.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/01/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-0096 resides within Cisco Prime Infrastructure's role-based access control implementation, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the fundamental security model of virtual domain isolation. This issue affects the core RBAC functionality that is designed to maintain strict separation between different virtual domains within the system, creating a scenario where authenticated attackers can bypass these essential security boundaries. The vulnerability stems from inadequate enforcement mechanisms that fail to properly validate access permissions across virtual domain boundaries, allowing unauthorized cross-domain interactions that should be strictly prohibited. The flaw specifically impacts the virtual domain management capabilities of Cisco Prime Infrastructure, which serves as a centralized management platform for wireless and wired network infrastructure across enterprise environments.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an authenticated attacker to craft and send a specific HTTP request to the targeted application, leveraging the insufficient RBAC enforcement to gain unauthorized access to other virtual domains. This privilege escalation occurs because the system fails to properly validate whether the authenticated user has legitimate access rights to the target virtual domain configuration. The vulnerability essentially allows a malicious user within one virtual domain to view and modify configuration data belonging to other virtual domains, effectively breaking the isolation that virtual domains are designed to provide. This flaw manifests through improper session management and access control validation that occurs during virtual domain operations, where the system does not adequately verify the user's authorization level for the specific domain they are attempting to access or modify. The attack vector relies on the HTTP protocol and the web-based interface of Cisco Prime Infrastructure, making it accessible to attackers who can authenticate to the system but do not possess the appropriate administrative privileges for the target domain.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, as it fundamentally compromises the security posture of organizations relying on Cisco Prime Infrastructure for network management. When exploited, this vulnerability allows attackers to gain access to sensitive network configuration data, potentially enabling them to modify critical network settings, access confidential information, or disrupt network operations. The ability to view and modify other virtual domains creates a significant risk for multi-tenant environments where different departments or customers share the same infrastructure, as it could lead to data breaches, service disruption, or unauthorized network modifications that could compromise the entire network infrastructure. Organizations using Cisco Prime Infrastructure may experience unauthorized access to network configurations that should remain isolated, potentially leading to insider threat scenarios or external attacks that leverage the compromised access to escalate privileges further within the network environment. This vulnerability directly impacts the CIA triad, particularly confidentiality and integrity, as it allows unauthorized access to confidential data and enables modification of critical system configurations.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Cisco security patches and updates that address the RBAC enforcement flaw in virtual domain handling. Network administrators should also consider implementing additional monitoring and logging controls to detect unauthorized access attempts to virtual domains, particularly focusing on unusual access patterns or configuration changes that might indicate exploitation of this vulnerability. The implementation of network segmentation and additional access controls beyond the default RBAC system can provide defense-in-depth measures that limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities. Security teams should conduct comprehensive assessments of their Cisco Prime Infrastructure deployments to identify all virtual domains and verify proper access controls are in place, while also reviewing audit logs for any signs of unauthorized virtual domain access. Additionally, implementing network access controls that restrict direct access to the Cisco Prime Infrastructure web interface from untrusted networks can help reduce the attack surface and limit the ability of remote attackers to exploit this vulnerability. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and privilege escalation, highlighting the importance of proper access control enforcement and monitoring for such scenarios.