CVE-2019-1959 in Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple vulnerabilities in Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software (NFVIS) could allow an authenticated, local attacker to read arbitrary files on the underlying operating system (OS) of an affected device. For more information about these vulnerabilities, see the Details section of this advisory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/21/2023
The Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software (NFVIS) vulnerability CVE-2019-1959 represents a critical local privilege escalation flaw that enables authenticated attackers to access arbitrary files within the underlying operating system of affected devices. This vulnerability specifically targets the NFVIS platform which serves as a software infrastructure for deploying and managing network functions virtualization environments. The flaw exists within the software's file access controls and permission management mechanisms, allowing an attacker who has already established authentication credentials to bypass normal security boundaries and read sensitive system files. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and insufficient access control checks within the NFVIS application layer that processes user requests for file operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a path traversal or directory traversal flaw that permits an authenticated user to manipulate file access requests and gain access to files outside of their intended scope. This type of vulnerability is classified under CWE-22 as "Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')" and falls within the ATT&CK framework under T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter. The attacker can leverage this weakness to read system configuration files, credential stores, log files, and other sensitive data that should remain restricted to authorized administrative users. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of the NFVIS software and impacts the integrity and confidentiality of the underlying operating system.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-1959 extends beyond simple information disclosure as it provides attackers with access to critical system components that could enable further exploitation. An attacker with local access could potentially extract database credentials, system keys, configuration parameters, and other sensitive information that could be used for lateral movement within the network or for privilege escalation to root or administrative accounts. The vulnerability undermines the security posture of NFVIS deployments by allowing unauthorized access to system resources that should be protected from local users. Organizations using NFVIS in their network infrastructure face significant risk as this flaw could enable attackers to compromise the entire virtualized network function environment and potentially affect network availability and security.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-1959 should include immediate deployment of Cisco's official security patches and updates to address the identified path traversal vulnerability. Network administrators should implement strict access controls and privilege management to limit local authentication access to only necessary personnel with legitimate business requirements. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by ensuring that local users have minimal required permissions and that administrative access is tightly controlled through multi-factor authentication mechanisms. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of their NFVIS deployments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and implement monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous file access patterns. Regular security updates and vulnerability assessments should be maintained to prevent similar issues from arising in the future, as this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and access control implementation in network infrastructure software.