CVE-2018-15404 in Integrated Management Controller
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the web interface of Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC) Supervisor and Cisco UCS Director could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected system. The vulnerability is due to insufficient restrictions on the size or total amount of resources allowed via the web interface. An attacker who has valid credentials for the application could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted or malformed HTTP request to the web interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause oversubscription of system resources or cause a component to become unresponsive, resulting in a DoS condition.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/30/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-15404 affects Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC) Supervisor and Cisco UCS Director web interfaces, representing a significant security weakness that can be exploited by authenticated attackers to disrupt system operations. This issue stems from inadequate resource management controls within the web interface components, specifically failing to enforce proper limits on resource consumption through HTTP requests. The vulnerability impacts organizations that rely on these Cisco management platforms for infrastructure monitoring and control, potentially compromising the availability of critical management functions.
The technical flaw manifests as insufficient input validation and resource restriction mechanisms within the web interface processing logic. When an authenticated attacker submits crafted or malformed HTTP requests, the system fails to properly enforce limits on resource consumption, allowing for resource exhaustion or component overload conditions. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the web interface components that handle HTTP request processing and resource allocation. The lack of proper bounds checking on request parameters and resource usage enables attackers to exploit the system's resource management weaknesses, leading to potential system instability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire management infrastructure. A successful exploitation can result in complete denial of service conditions where the affected systems become unresponsive or require manual intervention to restore normal operations. This affects not only the immediate availability of the web interface but also the underlying management capabilities that organizations depend on for system monitoring and control. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only valid authentication credentials, making it accessible to both internal and external attackers who have gained legitimate access to the system.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability effectively. Immediate remediation involves applying the latest security patches provided by Cisco to address the resource restriction deficiencies in the web interface components. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit exposure of management interfaces to trusted networks only. Additionally, implementing monitoring solutions that can detect unusual resource consumption patterns or malformed HTTP requests will help identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-770, which addresses allocation of resources without proper limits or refresh, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks. Regular security assessments and configuration reviews should be conducted to ensure proper resource management policies are enforced throughout the system infrastructure.