CVE-2020-26079 in IoT Field Network Director
Summary
by MITRE • 11/18/2020
A vulnerability in the web UI of Cisco IoT Field Network Director (FND) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to obtain hashes of user passwords on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to insufficient protection of user credentials. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by logging in as an administrative user and crafting a call for user information. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain hashes of user passwords on an affected device.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/08/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-26079 affects Cisco IoT Field Network Director version 2.2.0 and earlier, representing a critical weakness in the web-based management interface of this industrial networking solution. This device serves as a centralized management platform for IoT deployments, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to compromise industrial control systems. The flaw manifests in the insufficient protection mechanisms surrounding user authentication credentials, creating an avenue for privilege escalation and credential theft that could have far-reaching implications for industrial security infrastructure.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to first authenticate as an administrative user, which establishes a foothold within the system's access controls. Once authenticated, the attacker can craft a specific API call or web request designed to retrieve user information from the system's internal databases. This particular weakness stems from inadequate input validation and insufficient access controls within the web UI components that handle user credential requests. The vulnerability specifically affects the password hash exposure mechanism, where the system fails to properly sanitize or restrict access to cryptographic password representations stored within the device's authentication subsystem.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as password hashes provide attackers with the foundation for advanced exploitation techniques including offline password cracking attacks and credential reuse attempts across other network segments. The exposure of password hashes in the web UI context creates a significant risk for industrial environments where multiple users may share similar password patterns or where weak authentication mechanisms are prevalent. This vulnerability directly impacts the principle of least privilege and undermines the integrity of the authentication system, potentially enabling attackers to escalate privileges and gain deeper access to connected IoT devices and industrial control systems.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to Cisco IoT Field Network Director version 2.2.1 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the insufficient credential protection mechanisms. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit administrative access to the device, while monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual API access patterns or authentication attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-312 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information) and CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) classifications, and represents a technique that could be categorized under ATT&CK tactic T1110 (Brute Force) and T1566 (Phishing) when combined with initial access vectors. Additional security controls such as multi-factor authentication implementation, regular password policy enforcement, and comprehensive network monitoring should be deployed to reduce the overall risk profile of affected industrial environments.