CVE-2018-0336 in Prime Collaboration Provisioning
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the batch provisioning feature of Cisco Prime Collaboration Provisioning could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to escalate privileges to the Administrator level. The vulnerability is due to insufficient authorization enforcement on batch processing. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by uploading a batch file and having the batch file processed by the system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to escalate privileges to the Administrator level. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvd86578.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/22/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-0336 resides within Cisco Prime Collaboration Provisioning's batch provisioning functionality, representing a critical authorization flaw that enables authenticated remote privilege escalation. This vulnerability specifically targets the system's insufficient enforcement of access controls during batch processing operations, creating a pathway for malicious actors to elevate their privileges from standard user levels to full administrative privileges. The flaw manifests when an authenticated attacker uploads a specially crafted batch file that, upon system processing, triggers unauthorized privilege escalation mechanisms. The vulnerability was documented under Cisco Bug ID CSCvd86578 and demonstrates a fundamental weakness in the software's permission model during batch operation execution.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and authorization checks within the batch processing pipeline. When the system processes batch files containing specific commands or configurations, it fails to properly verify whether the submitting user possesses the necessary administrative privileges to execute such operations. This authorization gap occurs during the batch file interpretation phase, where the system processes user-submitted commands without adequate privilege verification. The flaw essentially allows any authenticated user to craft batch operations that would normally require administrator-level permissions, effectively bypassing the intended security boundaries. This represents a classic case of insufficient authorization enforcement, which aligns with CWE-285, specifically addressing improper authorization within system components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it fundamentally compromises the security posture of Cisco Prime Collaboration Provisioning environments. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability gains complete administrative control over the provisioning system, enabling them to modify user accounts, alter system configurations, manipulate provisioning workflows, and potentially access sensitive collaboration data. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation does not require physical access to the system or local network presence, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where such systems are often accessible from external networks. The attack vector through batch file upload creates a persistent threat model where malicious actors can maintain access through carefully crafted batch operations that may not immediately trigger security alerts.
Organizations affected by CVE-2018-0336 should implement immediate mitigations including restricting batch file upload capabilities to only trusted administrative users, implementing additional authorization checks during batch processing, and monitoring for unusual batch file activity. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers legitimate credentials in cloud environments, as it allows attackers to escalate privileges using legitimate system functions. Network segmentation and access control lists should be implemented to limit access to the provisioning system, while regular audit logging should be enabled to detect unauthorized batch file processing activities. Patch management strategies should prioritize deployment of Cisco's security updates addressing this specific authorization flaw, as the vulnerability represents a direct threat to the integrity of collaboration provisioning systems and could enable broader network compromise through the administrative access it provides.