CVE-2019-1850 in Integrated Management Controller
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC) Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to inject arbitrary commands that are executed with root privileges on an affected device. An attacker would need to have valid administrator credentials on the device. The vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input by the affected software. An attacker with elevated privileges could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted commands to the administrative web management interface of the affected software. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to inject and execute arbitrary, system-level commands with root privileges on an affected device.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/28/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-1850 resides within Cisco Integrated Management Controller IMC Software's web-based management interface, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of enterprise server management systems. This weakness specifically targets the authentication and input validation mechanisms that govern administrative access to Cisco's server management infrastructure, potentially exposing organizations to severe operational disruptions and unauthorized system compromise. The vulnerability affects Cisco IMC Software versions prior to 3.0 and represents a significant concern for data center and enterprise environments that rely on Cisco's server management solutions for critical infrastructure operations.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the web management interface, which fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before processing administrative commands. This insufficient validation creates a command injection vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers to manipulate the system's command execution pathways. According to CWE classification, this corresponds to CWE-77 which describes improper neutralization of special elements used in a command, specifically manifesting as command injection in the context of web applications. The vulnerability operates through the exploitation of the web interface's administrative command processing functions, where user inputs intended for legitimate administrative purposes can be manipulated to execute arbitrary system commands.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with complete system control through root-level command execution capabilities. An authenticated attacker with administrator credentials can leverage this flaw to inject malicious commands that execute with the highest possible system privileges, effectively granting them unrestricted access to the underlying operating system. This represents a severe escalation from standard administrative privileges to full system compromise, enabling attackers to modify system configurations, access sensitive data, install malware, or establish persistent backdoors within the affected infrastructure. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059.001 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell and T1068 - Exploitation for Privilege Escalation, highlighting the critical nature of command injection attacks in system compromise scenarios.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability face substantial risk exposure that could result in data breaches, system downtime, and regulatory compliance violations. The attack vector requires only valid administrator credentials, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by insiders or compromised accounts. Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate software updates to Cisco IMC Software version 3.0 or later, which contain the necessary patches to address the input validation flaws. Additionally, implementing network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces, enforcing strict access controls, and monitoring for suspicious command execution patterns can help reduce the risk of exploitation. Security professionals should also consider deploying web application firewalls and conducting regular vulnerability assessments to identify potential attack vectors and maintain comprehensive security posture against similar command injection vulnerabilities.