CVE-2019-1867 in Elastic Services Controller
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the REST API of Cisco Elastic Services Controller (ESC) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication on the REST API. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of API requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request to the REST API. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary actions through the REST API with administrative privileges on an affected system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-1867 affects the Cisco Elastic Services Controller (ESC) REST API implementation, representing a critical authentication bypass flaw that undermines the security posture of affected systems. This vulnerability resides within the API request validation mechanism, where insufficient input sanitization and authentication checks create an exploitable pathway for unauthorized remote access. The Cisco ESC serves as a critical component in enterprise networking environments, managing and orchestrating various network services, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations relying on its functionality. The flaw specifically manifests when the system fails to properly validate incoming API requests, allowing crafted malicious payloads to circumvent the authentication layer entirely.
The technical exploitation of CVE-2019-1867 leverages improper input validation techniques that fail to adequately inspect or sanitize API request parameters. Attackers can construct specially formatted requests that bypass the normal authentication flow, effectively granting them administrative access to the REST API without requiring valid credentials. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues in software systems, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1046 for network service scanning. The exploitation process typically involves sending malformed or crafted API requests that exploit the validation gap, potentially allowing attackers to perform administrative operations such as modifying system configurations, accessing sensitive data, or executing arbitrary commands through the API interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it provides attackers with full administrative privileges on affected Cisco ESC systems. This level of access enables comprehensive system compromise, including the ability to modify network configurations, deploy malicious software, extract sensitive information, and potentially establish persistent access points within the network infrastructure. Organizations utilizing Cisco ESC for critical network services face significant risk of service disruption, data breaches, and potential lateral movement within their network environments. The remote nature of the exploit means that attackers can target affected systems from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access or prior authentication credentials, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where such systems are exposed to external networks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-1867 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Cisco ESC systems through official firmware updates provided by Cisco. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to isolate ESC systems from untrusted networks, restrict API access through firewall rules, and monitor API traffic for suspicious patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additional defensive measures include implementing API rate limiting, enabling detailed logging of all API requests, and conducting regular security assessments of network service configurations. The vulnerability highlights the importance of robust input validation and authentication mechanisms in web applications, reinforcing the need for adherence to secure coding practices and regular security testing. Organizations should also consider implementing network detection systems that can identify anomalous API behavior patterns consistent with exploitation attempts.