CVE-2021-1267 in FirePOWER Management Center
Summary
by MITRE • 01/14/2021
A vulnerability in the dashboard widget of Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper restrictions on XML entities. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by crafting an XML-based widget on an affected server. A successful exploit could cause increased memory and CPU utilization, which could result in a DoS condition.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/14/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-1267 resides within the dashboard widget functionality of Cisco Firepower Management Center software, representing a critical security flaw that affects network security infrastructure. This vulnerability specifically targets the XML processing mechanisms within the FMC's web interface, where the system fails to properly validate and restrict XML entities during widget rendering operations. The issue manifests when the system processes maliciously crafted XML content through dashboard widgets, creating a path for unauthorized exploitation that can compromise the availability of the entire management platform.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient input validation and entity restriction within the XML parser implementation, which falls under the CWE-611 weakness category related to improper restriction of XML external entities. This vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker to manipulate the XML processing behavior by introducing specially crafted XML entities that trigger excessive resource consumption within the FMC software. When the system attempts to parse these malformed XML structures, it fails to properly limit the expansion of XML entities, leading to resource exhaustion through memory and CPU overutilization. The exploitation occurs through the dashboard widget interface, where XML-based content can be injected and subsequently processed without adequate sanitization measures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can effectively render the Cisco Firepower Management Center inoperable for legitimate administrative tasks. An attacker who has gained authentication credentials can leverage this weakness to systematically increase memory consumption and CPU utilization to critical levels, potentially causing complete system unresponsiveness or crash conditions. This denial of service condition directly impacts network security operations, as administrators lose access to critical management capabilities and monitoring functions, creating a window of vulnerability where network traffic cannot be properly managed or monitored. The attack vector requires only authenticated access, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrative credentials might be compromised through other attack vectors.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-1267 should prioritize immediate software patching from Cisco, as the vendor has released security updates addressing the XML entity processing vulnerability. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit the scope of potential exploitation, ensuring that only authorized personnel have access to the FMC management interface. Additional protective measures include implementing monitoring solutions that can detect unusual CPU and memory utilization patterns, which may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and implementing proper input validation for all XML processing operations, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1211 for exploiting XML external entity injection. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other components of the network security infrastructure, particularly those involving XML processing and web-based management interfaces.