CVE-2018-0376 in Policy Suite
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the Policy Builder interface of Cisco Policy Suite before 18.2.0 could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to access the Policy Builder interface. The vulnerability is due to a lack of authentication. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by accessing the Policy Builder interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to make changes to existing repositories and create new repositories. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvi35109.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/08/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-0376 resides within the Policy Builder interface of Cisco Policy Suite versions prior to 18.2.0, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of the system's access controls. This issue stems from a fundamental absence of authentication mechanisms within the Policy Builder component, creating an exploitable entry point that allows any remote attacker to gain unauthorized access to the interface without requiring valid credentials. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-287, which specifically addresses improper authentication issues, making it a direct descendant of weak credential validation processes that have been well-documented in cybersecurity literature for decades.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through straightforward network-based attacks where an unauthenticated attacker can directly access the Policy Builder interface by simply navigating to the appropriate endpoint. This lack of authentication control creates a pathway for malicious actors to perform administrative functions within the system, including the ability to modify existing repositories and establish new ones. The impact extends beyond simple unauthorized access as it provides attackers with repository manipulation capabilities that could lead to data corruption, privilege escalation, or complete system compromise. The vulnerability's exploitation aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers legitimate credentials obtained through exploitation, though in this case the credential requirement is simply absent rather than stolen.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations relying on Cisco Policy Suite for security policy management and enforcement. The ability to create and modify repositories without authentication means attackers can fundamentally alter the security posture of the affected systems by introducing malicious policies or modifying existing ones to weaken security controls. The impact is particularly severe because the Policy Builder interface typically serves as a critical component for managing access controls and security policies, making this vulnerability a potential gateway for broader system compromise. Organizations using affected versions of Cisco Policy Suite face the risk of unauthorized policy changes that could be leveraged to establish persistent access or disable critical security functions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-0376 primarily focus on upgrading to Cisco Policy Suite version 18.2.0 or later, which includes the necessary authentication controls to prevent unauthorized access to the Policy Builder interface. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to the Policy Builder interface to only trusted administrative networks and IP addresses. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security assessments to identify any unauthorized access that may have occurred through this vulnerability before applying the patch. The remediation process should include monitoring network traffic for suspicious access patterns to the Policy Builder interface and implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to identify potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also review their existing access control policies and ensure that administrative interfaces are properly secured with strong authentication mechanisms, as outlined in NIST SP 800-53 security controls for access control and system and information integrity.