CVE-2018-6501 in Management Center
Summary
by MITRE
Potential security vulnerability of Insufficient Access Controls has been identified in ArcSight Management Center (ArcMC) for versions prior to 2.81. This vulnerability could be exploited to allow for insufficient access controls.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/25/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-6501 represents a critical insufficient access control flaw within the ArcSight Management Center (ArcMC) platform, affecting all versions prior to 2.81. This security weakness resides in the platform's authorization mechanisms and demonstrates a fundamental failure in implementing proper access control policies that should govern user permissions and system resource access. The vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of user privileges and insufficient enforcement of access control rules within the ArcSight Management Center's security architecture. This weakness creates a scenario where authenticated users may potentially bypass intended access restrictions and gain unauthorized access to sensitive system components or data that should remain restricted to authorized personnel only. The flaw operates at the application level within the ArcSight platform's security framework, specifically targeting the mechanisms responsible for managing user authentication and authorization states.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows for privilege escalation scenarios where users with limited access rights can potentially exploit the insufficient access controls to perform actions beyond their designated permissions. This typically occurs through manipulation of access control lists, session tokens, or authentication state management within the ArcSight Management Center. The vulnerability may be exploited through various attack vectors including but not limited to session hijacking, token manipulation, or exploitation of weak authentication mechanisms that fail to properly validate user privileges. The root cause aligns with CWE-284 which specifically addresses improper access control issues in software systems, where the application fails to properly enforce access control policies that should restrict user access to system resources. This weakness can be classified under the ATT&CK framework as privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the 'Abuse Elevation of Privilege' tactic where adversaries leverage system weaknesses to gain elevated access rights.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access scenarios to potentially compromise the entire ArcSight Management Center environment. Organizations utilizing affected versions may face unauthorized data access, system manipulation, and potential data exfiltration from security monitoring and management systems. The compromised platform could allow attackers to view sensitive security event data, modify system configurations, or disable security controls entirely, undermining the integrity and effectiveness of the organization's security infrastructure. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprises that rely on ArcSight for security information and event management, as it could enable attackers to bypass security monitoring capabilities and potentially remain undetected within the network. The attack surface is significant given that ArcSight Management Center serves as a central hub for security operations and threat detection, making any access control weakness particularly dangerous.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to ArcSight Management Center version 2.81 or later, which contains the necessary access control fixes and security patches. Additional protective measures include implementing network segmentation to limit access to the ArcSight Management Center, enforcing strict access control policies, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of the platform's configuration. System administrators should also review and audit existing access control rules, implement multi-factor authentication where possible, and establish monitoring procedures to detect unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security software and implementing proper access control measures as outlined in industry standards such as NIST SP 800-53 and ISO/IEC 27001. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar access control weaknesses in other security systems and applications within the organization's infrastructure.