CVE-2021-1574 in Business Process Automation
Summary
by MITRE • 07/09/2021
Multiple vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of Cisco Business Process Automation (BPA) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to elevate privileges to Administrator. These vulnerabilities are due to improper authorization enforcement for specific features and for access to log files that contain confidential information. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities either by submitting crafted HTTP messages to an affected system and performing unauthorized actions with the privileges of an administrator, or by retrieving sensitive data from the logs and using it to impersonate a legitimate privileged user. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges to Administrator.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/11/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-1574 represents a critical authorization flaw within Cisco Business Process Automation's web-based management interface. This issue affects organizations that rely on Cisco's business process automation solutions for workflow management and process orchestration. The vulnerability stems from inadequate access control mechanisms that fail to properly validate user permissions for specific administrative features and log file access. The flaw exists in the application's privilege enforcement logic, where certain operations that should require administrator-level access can be performed by authenticated users with lower privileges. This misconfiguration creates a path for privilege escalation attacks that can be executed remotely without requiring physical access to the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through improper authorization checks that are implemented inconsistently across the web interface. Attackers can exploit this by crafting specific HTTP requests that target the affected components of the BPA system. The flaw specifically impacts the handling of administrative functions and log file access controls, where the system fails to properly verify user credentials against appropriate privilege levels. This weakness allows an authenticated attacker to bypass normal access restrictions and perform operations that should be restricted to privileged users. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be exploited through the network without requiring additional authentication factors or specialized tools beyond standard web browser capabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-2021-1574 extends far beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with full administrative control over the affected Cisco BPA system. Once elevated to administrator privileges, attackers can modify system configurations, create or modify user accounts, access sensitive business process data, and potentially use the compromised system as a pivot point for attacking other network resources. The inclusion of log file access vulnerabilities compounds the threat, as attackers can extract confidential information such as user credentials, system configurations, and business process details that could be used for further attacks or corporate espionage. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and can lead to complete system compromise and data breaches.
Organizations affected by CVE-2021-1574 should immediately implement mitigations including applying the latest security patches from Cisco, reviewing and strengthening access controls, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which specifically addresses improper access control, and maps to attack techniques in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and credential access categories. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect suspicious HTTP traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, security teams should conduct thorough access control reviews and implement multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts to reduce the risk of successful exploitation. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be performed to identify similar authorization flaws in other enterprise applications and systems.