CVE-2018-0181 in Policy Suite for Mobile
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the Redis implementation used by the Cisco Policy Suite for Mobile and Cisco Policy Suite Diameter Routing Agent software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to modify key-value pairs for short-lived events stored by the Redis server. The vulnerability is due to improper authentication when accessing the Redis server. An unauthenticated attacker could exploit this vulnerability by modifying key-value pairs stored within the Redis server database. An exploit could allow the attacker to reduce the efficiency of the Cisco Policy Suite for Mobile and Cisco Policy Suite Diameter Routing Agent software.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/23/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-0181 represents a critical authentication flaw within the Redis database implementation used by Cisco's Policy Suite for Mobile and Cisco Policy Suite Diameter Routing Agent software. This weakness stems from inadequate access control mechanisms that fail to properly authenticate users attempting to interact with the Redis server. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the Redis key-value store component that processes short-lived events within the Cisco policy management infrastructure. Attackers exploiting this flaw can gain unauthorized access to modify critical data stored in the Redis database without requiring any credentials or authentication tokens.
The technical exploitation of CVE-2018-0181 leverages the absence of proper authentication checks within the Redis server configuration. When the Cisco Policy Suite components communicate with the Redis server, they fail to enforce mandatory authentication protocols that would normally require valid credentials before allowing data modification operations. This misconfiguration creates an attack surface where any remote attacker can establish connections to the Redis instance and manipulate key-value pairs containing event data. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects the operational integrity of the policy management system, allowing attackers to modify critical routing and policy information that governs mobile network operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data modification, as it fundamentally undermines the reliability and security of the Cisco Policy Suite implementations. Attackers could potentially disrupt service availability by corrupting event data, manipulate routing decisions that affect mobile network traffic, or degrade the overall performance of the policy management system. The modification of short-lived events stored in Redis directly impacts the real-time decision-making capabilities of the Cisco Policy Suite, potentially leading to service interruptions, misrouted traffic, or unauthorized access to network resources. This vulnerability essentially allows attackers to compromise the integrity of the policy enforcement mechanisms that are critical for maintaining network security and service quality.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues in software implementations. The flaw also maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers legitimate credentials, as attackers can exploit the lack of authentication to gain unauthorized access to system resources. Mitigation strategies should include implementing proper Redis authentication mechanisms, configuring access controls to restrict unauthorized connections, and ensuring that Redis instances are not exposed to untrusted networks. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to limit access to Redis servers to only authorized management systems. Additionally, regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar authentication weaknesses in other components of the network infrastructure.