CVE-2018-0148 in UCS Director Software
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco UCS Director Software and Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC) Supervisor Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attack and perform arbitrary actions on an affected system. The vulnerability is due to insufficient CSRF protection by the web-based management interface of the affected software. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by persuading a user of the affected interface to click a malicious link. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to perform arbitrary actions, via the user's web browser and with the user's privileges, on an affected system. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvf71929.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/04/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-0148 represents a critical cross-site request forgery weakness in Cisco's web-based management interfaces for UCS Director Software and Integrated Management Controller Supervisor Software. This flaw resides in the insufficient implementation of CSRF protection mechanisms within the affected web interfaces, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on these management platforms. The vulnerability stems from the lack of proper validation measures that would normally prevent unauthorized requests from being executed on behalf of authenticated users.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through social engineering techniques where an attacker crafts malicious links designed to trigger unauthorized actions within the target system's web interface. When a legitimate user with appropriate privileges clicks on such a crafted link, the malicious request executes within the context of their active browser session, effectively impersonating their privileges and authority. This occurs because the web interface fails to implement proper anti-CSRF tokens or other protective mechanisms that would normally validate the origin and intent of incoming requests. The flaw specifically affects the authentication context of the management interface, allowing attackers to perform arbitrary actions without requiring valid credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it enables attackers to execute potentially destructive operations within the targeted system environment. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to modify system configurations, access sensitive data, create or delete user accounts, or perform other administrative functions that could compromise the integrity and availability of the managed infrastructure. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation can occur from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access or prior authentication to the system. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations using Cisco's unified computing management platforms, where the compromised system could serve as a gateway to broader network infrastructure.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including the deployment of web application firewalls that can detect and block CSRF attempts, implementation of proper CSRF token validation mechanisms, and network segmentation to limit access to management interfaces. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1566 for social engineering attacks. Cisco has released patches and updates to address this vulnerability, and organizations should ensure their systems are updated to the latest software versions containing the necessary security fixes. Network administrators should also consider implementing additional monitoring and logging controls to detect suspicious activity patterns that may indicate CSRF attack attempts against their management interfaces.