CVE-2018-0393 in Policy Suite
Summary
by MITRE
A Read-Only User Effect Change vulnerability in the Policy Builder interface of Cisco Policy Suite could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to make policy changes in the Policy Builder interface. The vulnerability is due to insufficient authorization controls. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by accessing the Policy Builder interface and modifying an HTTP request. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to make changes to existing policies. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvi35007.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/08/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-0393 represents a critical authorization flaw within Cisco Policy Suite's Policy Builder interface, specifically categorized under CWE-284 which addresses improper access control mechanisms. This issue affects the software's ability to properly validate user permissions, creating a scenario where authenticated users can potentially escalate their privileges beyond their intended read-only access levels. The vulnerability stems from inadequate authorization controls that fail to properly enforce the principle of least privilege, allowing malicious actors to manipulate policy configurations through carefully crafted HTTP requests.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an authenticated attacker who can access the Policy Builder interface and modify HTTP requests to bypass normal access controls. This flaw specifically impacts the authorization enforcement mechanisms within the web-based management interface, where the system fails to properly validate whether a user possesses sufficient privileges to modify policy configurations. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting modified requests that appear to originate from legitimate users but contain unauthorized modification commands, effectively enabling them to perform actions that should be restricted to administrators or authorized personnel only.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple policy modification, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity and confidentiality of the network policy management system. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could potentially alter critical security policies, create backdoors, or disable protective measures within the Cisco Policy Suite environment. This represents a significant risk to enterprise security infrastructure, as policy changes could lead to unauthorized access to network resources, bypass of security controls, or disruption of normal network operations. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on Cisco Policy Suite for network policy management, potentially exposing their entire security framework to unauthorized modifications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-0393 should focus on implementing robust access control measures and network segmentation to limit exposure of the Policy Builder interface to unauthorized users. Organizations should ensure that all Cisco Policy Suite installations are updated with the latest security patches released by Cisco to address this specific authorization flaw. Network administrators should implement additional monitoring and logging of policy modification activities to detect unauthorized changes, while also reviewing and tightening access controls to ensure that only authorized personnel can access the Policy Builder interface. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation through unauthorized access to systems, making it particularly concerning for organizations that rely heavily on centralized policy management systems.