CVE-2022-20744 in FirePOWER Management Center
Summary
by MITRE • 05/03/2022
A vulnerability in the input protection mechanisms of Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to view data without proper authorization. This vulnerability exists because of a protection mechanism that relies on the existence or values of a specific input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by modifying this input to bypass the protection mechanism and sending a crafted request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to view data beyond the scope of their authorization.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/05/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-20744 represents a critical authorization bypass flaw within Cisco Firepower Management Center software, specifically targeting the input protection mechanisms that govern data access controls. This weakness resides in the software's authentication and authorization framework, where the system's security relies on specific input validation checks that can be manipulated by adversaries. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization and validation processes that fail to properly verify the integrity of user-supplied data before granting access to protected resources. Attackers exploiting this flaw can manipulate input parameters to circumvent the intended access controls, effectively elevating their privileges beyond what their legitimate authorization should permit.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through carefully crafted requests that modify specific input fields within the FMC software interface. The flaw manifests when the system's protection mechanisms depend on the presence or specific values of certain input parameters that are not adequately validated or sanitized. This creates an attack surface where malicious actors can alter input values to bypass authorization checks, potentially gaining access to sensitive configuration data, network policies, or other restricted information. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows authenticated attackers to perform unauthorized data access, meaning that even legitimate users with limited privileges could escalate their access rights through this manipulation technique.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-20744 extends beyond simple unauthorized data access, potentially compromising the entire security posture of organizations relying on Cisco Firepower Management Center for network security operations. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could access sensitive network configuration details, security policies, user credentials, and other confidential information that should remain restricted to authorized personnel only. This unauthorized access capability directly violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and data confidentiality, potentially enabling more sophisticated attacks such as lateral movement within the network or the modification of critical security settings. The vulnerability affects organizations that depend on FMC for centralized security management, potentially exposing their entire network infrastructure to compromise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-20744 should prioritize immediate software updates and patches provided by Cisco to address the underlying input validation flaws. Organizations must ensure all affected FMC instances are updated to versions that properly implement robust input sanitization and validation mechanisms. Network administrators should also implement additional monitoring controls to detect unusual access patterns or unauthorized data requests that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and represents a classic example of how inadequate parameter validation can lead to authorization bypass scenarios. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and credential access, as attackers can leverage it to gain unauthorized access to sensitive system information and potentially expand their foothold within the network environment.