CVE-2018-0474 in Unified Communications Manager
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Unified Communications Manager could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to view digest credentials in clear text. The vulnerability is due to the incorrect inclusion of saved passwords in configuration pages. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by logging in to the Cisco Unified Communications Manager web-based management interface and viewing the source code for the configuration page. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to recover passwords and expose those accounts to further attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/26/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-0474 represents a critical security flaw within Cisco Unified Communications Manager's web-based management interface that exposes sensitive authentication credentials to unauthorized access. This issue affects organizations relying on Cisco's unified communications infrastructure, where the web interface serves as the primary administrative gateway for managing voice and collaboration services. The vulnerability specifically targets the configuration pages that handle user authentication data, creating a significant risk for enterprises that depend on these systems for their communication infrastructure.
The technical implementation flaw stems from improper handling of credential storage and display within the web interface's configuration pages. When administrators access configuration settings through the web-based management interface, the system incorrectly includes digest credentials in clear text within the HTML source code of the configuration pages. This design error violates fundamental security principles for credential handling and demonstrates a lack of proper input sanitization and output encoding. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-200, which addresses the exposure of sensitive information, and represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege in security architecture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, creating cascading security risks for organizations. An authenticated attacker who gains access to the web-based management interface can exploit this flaw by simply viewing the source code of configuration pages, making the attack surface relatively broad and accessible. Once credentials are recovered, attackers can leverage them to gain deeper access to the unified communications infrastructure, potentially compromising voice services, video conferencing systems, and collaboration tools. This vulnerability enables privilege escalation attacks and can serve as a foothold for more extensive network infiltration, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where communication systems are often interconnected with other critical infrastructure components.
The exploitation of CVE-2018-0474 aligns with several tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically those related to credential access and privilege escalation. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access to communication systems while remaining undetected, as the attack vector does not require complex techniques or specialized tools beyond basic web browsing capabilities. Organizations implementing the ATT&CK framework would identify this vulnerability as a critical threat requiring immediate remediation, particularly in environments where the web interface serves as a primary administrative access point. The vulnerability also demonstrates the importance of proper security controls in web application development, as it highlights the need for comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent information disclosure attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-0474 should include immediate patching of affected Cisco Unified Communications Manager versions, implementation of network segmentation to limit access to the web interface, and enhanced monitoring of administrative access logs. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of their web-based management interfaces to identify similar vulnerabilities in other systems. The remediation process should involve disabling unnecessary administrative access points, implementing multi-factor authentication for web interface access, and establishing proper access controls that limit who can view configuration pages containing sensitive information. Regular security audits of web applications and configuration management processes are essential to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other components of the unified communications infrastructure.