CVE-2024-20348 in Data Center Network Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 04/03/2024
A vulnerability in the Out-of-Band (OOB) Plug and Play (PnP) feature of Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (NDFC) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to read arbitrary files.
This vulnerability is due to an unauthenticated provisioning web server. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability through direct web requests to the provisioning server. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to read sensitive files in the PnP container that could facilitate further attacks on the PnP infrastructure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/09/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-20348 affects Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (NDFC) and represents a critical security flaw within the Out-of-Band Plug and Play feature. This issue stems from an unauthenticated provisioning web server that lacks proper access controls, creating an avenue for remote exploitation without requiring any credentials or prior authentication. The NDFC serves as a central management platform for Cisco Nexus fabric environments, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for enterprise networks that rely on these controllers for infrastructure management and orchestration.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the provisioning web server component that handles Out-of-Band Plug and Play operations, which are essential for automated device provisioning and configuration within fabric networks. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting direct web requests to the provisioning server, bypassing normal authentication mechanisms that should protect sensitive system components. This unauthenticated access allows adversaries to traverse the file system and retrieve arbitrary files from the PnP container, which typically contains configuration data, certificates, and other sensitive operational information. The vulnerability's nature aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues, specifically concerning improper access control mechanisms that permit unauthorized data access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the ability to read sensitive files within the PnP container provides attackers with valuable intelligence for subsequent attacks. These files may contain system credentials, configuration parameters, network topology information, or cryptographic keys that could enable attackers to escalate their privileges or conduct more sophisticated attacks against the fabric infrastructure. The vulnerability essentially provides a foothold for attackers to map the network environment and identify potential targets for further exploitation, potentially leading to complete compromise of the fabric management system and underlying network infrastructure. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213 Data from Information Repositories, where adversaries harvest sensitive data from system repositories.
Organizations utilizing Cisco NDFC should immediately implement mitigations to address this vulnerability, including restricting network access to the provisioning web server through firewall rules and network segmentation to limit exposure to trusted networks only. The most effective immediate solution involves applying the latest security patches provided by Cisco, which should address the authentication bypass and access control issues within the provisioning server. Additionally, network administrators should conduct thorough audits of the NDFC configuration to ensure that unnecessary services are disabled and that proper access controls are implemented. Regular monitoring of network traffic for suspicious requests to provisioning endpoints can help detect exploitation attempts, while implementing network-based intrusion detection systems can provide additional layers of protection against this type of attack. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining secure default configurations and implementing principle of least privilege access controls for management interfaces in enterprise network infrastructure.