CVE-2019-12688 in FirePOWER Management Center
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the web UI of the Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted input to the web UI. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands within the affected device.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/26/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-12688 represents a critical security flaw in Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) version 6.2.3 and earlier releases. This issue affects the web-based user interface component of the firewall management system, creating a pathway for authenticated remote attackers to gain unauthorized command execution capabilities on the affected device. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the web UI, which fails to properly sanitize or validate user-supplied data before processing. This weakness allows malicious actors who have already established authentication credentials to manipulate the system through carefully crafted input sequences that bypass normal security controls.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the web UI interface where attackers can submit maliciously formatted data that gets processed without sufficient validation checks. When the system processes this malformed input, it fails to properly validate the content against expected formats and allowed character sets, leading to potential command injection scenarios. The insufficient input validation creates a condition where user-provided data can be interpreted as executable commands rather than simple input parameters, effectively allowing an authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code within the context of the FMC device. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-20 category of "Improper Input Validation" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with elevated privileges and complete control over the affected Firepower Management Center device. Once exploited, an attacker could gain access to sensitive network configuration data, modify firewall policies, disable security features, and potentially use the compromised device as a pivot point for further attacks within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on Cisco FMC for network security management, potentially exposing their entire network defense posture to compromise. Organizations with multiple FMC instances or those operating in environments with limited network segmentation face increased risk of lateral movement and extended compromise.
Cisco has addressed this vulnerability through software updates and patches that implement proper input validation controls within the web UI components. Organizations should immediately apply the relevant security patches provided by Cisco to remediate this vulnerability. Additional mitigations include implementing network segmentation to limit access to the FMC web UI, enforcing strict access controls and authentication mechanisms, monitoring web UI access logs for suspicious activity, and conducting regular security assessments of the management infrastructure. Security teams should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous command execution patterns and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing potential exploitation of this class of vulnerability. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing throughout the software development lifecycle to prevent similar issues from arising in production environments.