CVE-2022-20831 in FirePOWER Management Center
Summary
by MITRE • 11/16/2022
Multiple vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) attack against a user of the interface of an affected device. These vulnerabilities are due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input by the web-based management interface. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by inserting crafted input into various data fields in an affected interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary script code in the context of the interface, or access sensitive, browser-based information. In some cases, it is also possible to cause a temporary availability impact to portions of the FMC Dashboard.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/11/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-20831 represents a critical security flaw in Cisco Firepower Management Center software that exposes organizations to sophisticated cross-site scripting attacks. This vulnerability specifically affects the web-based management interface of the FMC platform, which serves as the central control point for managing network security policies and monitoring threats across enterprise environments. The affected system operates as a critical component in network security infrastructure, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations that rely on Cisco's security solutions for their defense posture.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the web interface components of the FMC software. This insufficient validation creates opportunities for attackers to inject malicious scripts into various data fields through the management interface. The vulnerability manifests as stored XSS conditions, meaning that malicious payloads persist within the system and can be executed whenever legitimate users access affected pages. This characteristic transforms what might otherwise be a one-time exploitation attempt into a persistent threat that can affect multiple users over time.
From an operational perspective, the impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution capabilities. Attackers can leverage these stored XSS vulnerabilities to access sensitive browser-based information, potentially extracting session cookies, user credentials, or other confidential data that the browser maintains in memory. The ability to execute arbitrary code in the context of the web interface provides attackers with a powerful foothold that could enable further exploitation attempts, including privilege escalation or lateral movement within the network environment. Additionally, the vulnerability can cause temporary availability impacts to portions of the FMC Dashboard, potentially disrupting critical security monitoring and management functions that organizations depend upon for maintaining their security posture.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches released by Cisco to address this vulnerability. Network administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as web application firewalls and input sanitization measures to reduce the attack surface. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and it maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 related to spearphishing attachments and T1566.002 for spearphishing via links, as attackers could potentially leverage this vulnerability to create malicious links that would execute in user browsers. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their web-based management interfaces to identify similar input validation weaknesses that could be exploited in similar fashion, as this represents a common pattern in web application security vulnerabilities.