CVE-2020-3243 in UCS Director
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple vulnerabilities in the REST API of Cisco UCS Director and Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data may allow a remote attacker to bypass authentication or conduct directory traversal attacks on 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 • 05/27/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-3243 affects Cisco UCS Director and Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data platforms, representing a critical security weakness in the REST API implementation that exposes organizations to significant remote attack vectors. These platforms are widely used for managing and orchestrating data center infrastructure, making the exploitation of such vulnerabilities particularly dangerous for enterprise environments. The REST API serves as the primary interface for administrative operations and system integration, making it a prime target for adversaries seeking unauthorized access to critical infrastructure management functions.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate input validation and authentication mechanisms within the REST API endpoints of these Cisco products. Specifically, the vulnerability enables attackers to bypass authentication protocols through crafted API requests that exploit improper session handling and credential verification processes. Additionally, the system suffers from directory traversal vulnerabilities that allow malicious actors to access unauthorized files and directories through specially crafted API calls. These weaknesses are categorized under CWE-287 for improper authentication and CWE-22 for directory traversal attacks, both of which are fundamental security flaws that significantly compromise system integrity and confidentiality. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input parameters that are directly processed by the API without proper validation or filtering mechanisms.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-3243 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, potentially enabling attackers to execute arbitrary code, escalate privileges, and gain persistent access to affected systems. Remote attackers can exploit these vulnerabilities without requiring any local access or prior authentication credentials, making the attack surface particularly broad. The implications include potential data exfiltration from sensitive infrastructure management systems, disruption of critical operations through system manipulation, and the possibility of establishing backdoors for continued unauthorized access. Organizations using Cisco UCS Director platforms may experience complete compromise of their data center orchestration capabilities, affecting service delivery and operational continuity. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK techniques such as T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for phishing, as attackers can leverage the compromised API to move laterally within networks and escalate privileges.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-3243 require immediate implementation of multiple defensive measures including applying the latest security patches provided by Cisco, implementing network segmentation to restrict access to the affected REST API endpoints, and deploying robust API monitoring and logging mechanisms. Organizations should enforce strict access controls and implement principle of least privilege for API users, while also configuring firewalls to restrict access to the REST API ports from trusted networks only. Additionally, regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify potential exploitation attempts, and network traffic monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous API requests that may indicate exploitation attempts. The implementation of web application firewalls and API gateways can provide additional layers of protection against directory traversal and authentication bypass attacks. System administrators should also review and harden default configurations, disable unnecessary API endpoints, and implement comprehensive audit logging to track all API interactions for security analysis and incident response purposes.