CVE-2018-0113 in UCS Central Software
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in an operations script of Cisco UCS Central could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary shell commands with the privileges of the daemon user. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by posting a crafted request to the user interface of Cisco UCS Central. This vulnerability affects Cisco UCS Central Software prior to Release 2.0(1c). Cisco Bug IDs: CSCve70825.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/02/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-0113 represents a critical remote code execution flaw within Cisco UCS Central software infrastructure. This security weakness resides in the operations script component of the system, where inadequate input validation creates a pathway for malicious actors to escalate their privileges and execute arbitrary shell commands. The vulnerability specifically targets the daemon user context, which typically operates with elevated system privileges, making the potential impact significantly more severe than typical authentication bypass issues. The affected version range includes all releases prior to Cisco UCS Central Software Release 2.0(1c), indicating this flaw persisted across multiple generations of the product lineage.
The technical exploitation mechanism leverages a crafted request sent through the user interface of Cisco UCS Central, demonstrating how web-based attack surfaces can be weaponized against backend systems. This approach aligns with common application security patterns where user-controllable inputs are not properly sanitized before being processed by backend scripts. The insufficient input validation vulnerability falls under the CWE-20 category, specifically addressing improper input validation issues that commonly lead to command injection and arbitrary code execution scenarios. The flaw represents a classic example of how authentication bypasses can be combined with input sanitization failures to create dangerous attack vectors.
Operationally, this vulnerability creates a severe threat landscape for organizations relying on Cisco UCS Central for data center management. An authenticated remote attacker can leverage this weakness to gain system-level access, potentially compromising entire data center infrastructures. The daemon user privilege escalation aspect means that successful exploitation could allow attackers to access sensitive configuration data, modify system parameters, or even establish persistent backdoors within the management infrastructure. The attack surface extends beyond immediate system compromise to include potential lateral movement within the network, as the compromised management system could serve as a launching point for further attacks.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Cisco UCS Central Software Release 2.0(1c) or later versions that contain the necessary patches addressing this vulnerability. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened around the UCS Central management interfaces to limit exposure to untrusted networks. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059.001 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell) and T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation) techniques, highlighting the multi-stage nature of attacks that could exploit this weakness. Additional defensive measures include implementing web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious requests, conducting regular security assessments of management interfaces, and establishing robust monitoring for unusual command execution patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.