CVE-2019-1952 in Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software (NFVIS) could allow an authenticated, local attacker to overwrite or read arbitrary files. The attacker would need valid administrator privilege-level credentials. This vulnerability is due to improper input validation of CLI command arguments. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by using directory traversal techniques when executing a vulnerable command. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to overwrite or read arbitrary files on an affected device.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/21/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-1952 affects Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software (NFVIS) and represents a critical security flaw in the command line interface implementation. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the CLI command processing framework, creating a pathway for authenticated local attackers to manipulate file system operations through malicious command arguments. The flaw specifically manifests when the system fails to properly sanitize user inputs passed to CLI commands, enabling attackers to leverage directory traversal techniques that bypass normal file access controls.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability relies on the attacker's ability to craft malicious CLI commands that incorporate directory traversal sequences such as ../ or ..\ to navigate outside of intended file system boundaries. When the NFVIS CLI processes these malformed arguments without proper validation, the system executes the intended file operations against arbitrary locations within the device's file system. This vulnerability operates at the intersection of CWE-22 - Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory and CWE-77 - Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command, both of which are fundamental weaknesses in input validation and command execution handling.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to NFVIS deployments as it allows for both read and write operations against the device's file system, potentially enabling complete system compromise. An attacker with valid administrator credentials could leverage this flaw to access sensitive configuration files, modify system binaries, or extract confidential data from the device. The impact extends beyond simple data access, as successful exploitation could lead to privilege escalation, system instability, or complete device takeover. This vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise network virtualization environments where NFVIS serves as a critical infrastructure component managing virtual network functions.
The exploitation of CVE-2019-1952 aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1059.001 - Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1078 - Valid Accounts, as it requires legitimate administrative credentials to establish the initial attack vector while leveraging command execution capabilities to achieve unauthorized file system access. Organizations utilizing NFVIS should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches from Cisco, implementing strict CLI access controls, and conducting comprehensive audit reviews of system file integrity. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation in privileged interfaces and highlights the need for defense-in-depth strategies that limit the potential impact of such flaws through network segmentation, access logging, and regular security assessments to detect anomalous file system access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.