CVE-2023-20239 in FirePOWER Management Center
Summary
by MITRE • 05/22/2024
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct SQL injection attacks on an affected system. This vulnerability exists because the web-based management interface does not adequately validate user input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the application and sending crafted SQL queries to an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain any data from the database, execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system, and elevate privileges to root. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need at least Read Only user credentials.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/06/2025
This vulnerability resides within Cisco Firepower Management Center FMC software's web-based management interface, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of the system's authentication and input validation mechanisms. The flaw stems from insufficient sanitization of user-supplied data within the application's input handling processes, creating an avenue for malicious actors to manipulate database queries through crafted payloads. The vulnerability is classified as a SQL injection weakness under CWE-89, which specifically addresses improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands, making it particularly dangerous given the privileged access requirements and potential for extensive system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data theft, as successful exploitation enables attackers to execute arbitrary code on the underlying operating system with elevated privileges. This represents a severe privilege escalation vector that could ultimately result in complete system compromise, allowing threat actors to gain root-level access and establish persistent control over the affected infrastructure. The requirement for at least Read Only user credentials indicates that this vulnerability could be exploited through compromised legitimate accounts, making it particularly concerning for organizations where credential security may be inadequate or where insider threats exist.
Attackers leveraging this vulnerability can perform extensive data exfiltration from the database, potentially accessing sensitive configuration information, user credentials, and system logs that could facilitate further attacks within the network. The ability to execute arbitrary commands on the operating system enables attackers to install backdoors, deploy additional malware, or manipulate system files to maintain persistence. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1213 for data from information repositories, demonstrating how a single flaw can enable multiple attack phases and compromise various security controls within an organization's defensive posture.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through official Cisco patches and updates, while implementing network segmentation to limit access to the FMC interface. Additional mitigations include enforcing strict input validation on all user-facing interfaces, implementing web application firewalls to detect and block SQL injection attempts, and conducting regular security assessments of management interfaces. Monitoring for unusual database access patterns and unauthorized command execution attempts should be enabled to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of principle of least privilege enforcement and multi-factor authentication implementation for administrative accounts to limit the impact of credential compromise.