CVE-2018-15466 in Policy Suite
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the Graphite web interface of the Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) of Cisco Policy Suite (CPS) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to access the Graphite web interface. The attacker would need to have access to the internal VLAN where CPS is deployed. The vulnerability is due to lack of authentication. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by directly connecting to the Graphite web interface. An exploit could allow the attacker to access various statistics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) regarding the Cisco Policy Suite environment.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/26/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-15466 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw within the Cisco Policy Suite platform, specifically affecting the Policy and Charging Rules Function component. This issue manifests in the Graphite web interface which serves as a monitoring and visualization tool for network policy and charging operations. The vulnerability stems from insufficient authentication mechanisms that fail to properly verify the identity of users attempting to access sensitive operational data. Security researchers have classified this weakness as a direct consequence of inadequate access controls, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise network environments where such systems handle critical policy enforcement functions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to possess access to the internal virtual local area network where the Cisco Policy Suite is deployed, typically representing a privileged position within the network infrastructure. However, once inside the internal network segment, the attacker can directly connect to the Graphite web interface without requiring any authentication credentials. This lack of authentication enforcement creates an uncontrolled access point to the system's monitoring capabilities, allowing unauthorized individuals to view comprehensive statistics and key performance indicators that reflect the operational status of the entire Cisco Policy Suite environment. The flaw directly violates fundamental security principles of access control and privilege management.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it provides attackers with detailed insights into network policy enforcement operations and system performance metrics. The compromised Graphite interface contains sensitive information about policy rule configurations, charging mechanisms, and overall network behavior that could be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks. This information exposure aligns with attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1082 technique for system information discovery and T1566 for credential access through network sniffing. The availability of KPIs and statistical data could enable attackers to identify system weaknesses, understand operational patterns, and plan subsequent phases of attack against the broader network infrastructure.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigation measures including network segmentation to isolate the Cisco Policy Suite components from general network access, deployment of network access control policies, and implementation of additional authentication layers for the Graphite interface. The solution should align with the principle of least privilege and follow the security guidance outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework for securing network infrastructure components. Cisco has released patches and updates to address this vulnerability, which should be applied immediately to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive monitoring data. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of conducting regular security assessments of internal network components and implementing proper network architecture principles to prevent lateral movement and unauthorized access to critical infrastructure systems.