CVE-2023-20002 in TelePresence Collaboration Endpoint
Summary
by MITRE • 01/20/2023
A vulnerability in Cisco TelePresence CE and RoomOS Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to bypass access controls and conduct an SSRF attack through an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request to a user of the web application. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to send arbitrary network requests that are sourced from the affected system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/04/2023
This vulnerability resides within Cisco TelePresence CE and RoomOS software platforms, representing a critical security weakness that undermines the integrity of access control mechanisms. The flaw manifests as insufficient input validation processes that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data, creating an avenue for malicious actors to manipulate system behavior. The vulnerability specifically affects devices running the RoomOS operating system where the web application interface lacks adequate protection against crafted requests that could be used to circumvent established security boundaries. This issue impacts organizations utilizing Cisco video conferencing solutions who may be unaware that their endpoints could be compromised through seemingly legitimate authenticated access.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves an authenticated local attacker leveraging improper input validation to construct malicious requests that bypass normal access controls. When the affected system processes these crafted inputs, it fails to validate the legitimacy of the data supplied by the user, allowing the attacker to manipulate the application's behavior. The vulnerability enables a server-side request forgery attack pattern where the malicious actor can send arbitrary network requests originating from the compromised device. This occurs because the system does not properly validate or sanitize the user-supplied input before processing it, creating a pathway for unauthorized network communication that appears to come from the legitimate device.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it enables attackers to potentially access internal network resources that would normally be protected by firewalls and access controls. An attacker could leverage this weakness to probe internal systems, exfiltrate sensitive data, or establish persistence within the network environment. The attack vector requires local authentication access, meaning that the attacker must first obtain valid credentials to the device, but once achieved, the vulnerability allows for significant network reconnaissance and lateral movement. This represents a particularly concerning weakness because it can be exploited from within the network perimeter, making it difficult to detect through traditional network monitoring tools that might not flag traffic originating from legitimate endpoints.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches from Cisco, reviewing and strengthening authentication controls, and implementing network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and represents a pathway for attackers to follow the ATT&CK technique of Server-Side Request Forgery. Network administrators should monitor for unusual outbound network requests from affected devices and consider implementing additional access controls for the web application interfaces. Regular security assessments of video conferencing endpoints should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities, and organizations should establish incident response procedures specifically addressing device-based attacks that leverage access control bypasses. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of all user-facing interfaces in enterprise communication systems.