CVE-2019-11242 in DataPlatform
Summary
by MITRE
A man-in-the-middle vulnerability related to vCenter access was found in Cohesity DataPlatform version 5.x and 6.x prior to 6.1.1c. Cohesity clusters did not verify TLS certificates presented by vCenter. This vulnerability could expose Cohesity user credentials configured to access vCenter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/04/2020
The CVE-2019-11242 vulnerability represents a critical man-in-the-middle attack vector affecting Cohesity DataPlatform versions 5.x and 6.x before 6.1.1c. This flaw stems from the absence of proper TLS certificate verification mechanisms within the Cohesity cluster's interaction with VMware vCenter systems. The vulnerability operates at the transport layer security level, specifically targeting the authentication and authorization processes that occur during vCenter connectivity. When Cohesity clusters attempt to establish secure connections with vCenter servers, they fail to validate the presented SSL/TLS certificates, creating an exploitable gap in the security architecture. This oversight allows malicious actors positioned within the network to intercept and manipulate communications between Cohesity appliances and vCenter systems, potentially capturing sensitive authentication credentials.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols. The flaw specifically manifests as a failure to implement certificate pinning or proper certificate chain validation during TLS handshakes. Attackers can leverage this weakness by deploying malicious intermediate certificates or by simply intercepting network traffic through proxy mechanisms. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple credential theft, as compromised vCenter access can provide attackers with extensive administrative privileges over virtualized environments. This includes access to virtual machine configurations, snapshot management capabilities, and overall hypervisor control functions that are typically restricted to authorized administrators.
The operational consequences of CVE-2019-11242 are severe for organizations relying on Cohesity DataPlatform for backup and data management operations. Once exploited, the vulnerability enables attackers to establish persistent access to vCenter environments, potentially leading to data exfiltration, system compromise, and disruption of critical backup operations. The attack vector typically involves network-based interception techniques that can be executed without requiring direct physical access to either the Cohesity cluster or vCenter infrastructure. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where network traffic flows are not adequately monitored or segmented. The exposure of vCenter credentials through this vulnerability also creates opportunities for lateral movement within virtualized infrastructures, as vCenter serves as a central management point for multiple virtual machines and datastores.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to Cohesity DataPlatform version 6.1.1c or later, which addresses the certificate verification flaw. Network segmentation and traffic monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous communication patterns between Cohesity appliances and vCenter systems. The implementation of additional security controls such as certificate pinning, network intrusion detection systems, and regular security audits of vCenter connections can provide layered defense against exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving credential access and lateral movement, specifically targeting the T1078 legitimate credentials and T1021 remote services sub-techniques. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should include verification of TLS certificate validation mechanisms to prevent similar weaknesses in other components of the data protection infrastructure.