CVE-2024-20356 in Integrated Management Controller
Summary
by MITRE • 04/24/2024
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with Administrator-level privileges to perform command injection attacks on an affected system and elevate their privileges to root. This vulnerability is due to insufficient user input validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted commands to the web-based management interface of the affected software. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate their privileges to root.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/24/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-20356 represents a critical command injection flaw within Cisco's Integrated Management Controller web-based management interface. This issue affects the IMC software that provides remote management capabilities for Cisco servers and infrastructure equipment. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before processing. Attackers with Administrator-level access can leverage this weakness to execute arbitrary commands on the affected system, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through the web-based management interface where user inputs are not adequately validated or sanitized before being processed by the underlying system. When an authenticated attacker with administrative privileges submits maliciously crafted input through the web interface, the system fails to properly validate the input, allowing command injection payloads to be executed. This weakness directly maps to CWE-77 which defines command injection vulnerabilities where untrusted data is incorporated into system commands without proper validation or sanitization. The vulnerability essentially allows attackers to bypass normal access controls and execute arbitrary system commands with the privileges of the web application process.
From an operational perspective, the impact of CVE-2024-20356 is severe as it enables privilege escalation from Administrator to root level access. This represents a significant escalation in attack capabilities since administrators typically have extensive control over system functions, but root access provides complete system control including the ability to modify system files, install malware, and access all system resources. The vulnerability affects Cisco IMC software versions that implement web-based management interfaces, potentially compromising numerous enterprise servers and infrastructure components. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely, making it particularly dangerous as it doesn't require physical access to the target system. The attack surface includes any system running vulnerable IMC software that is accessible over the network.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-20356 should focus on immediate patching of affected Cisco IMC software versions to address the input validation deficiencies. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to management interfaces and restrict administrative privileges to only necessary personnel. Additional defensive measures include implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious input patterns, conducting regular security assessments of management interfaces, and monitoring for unusual command execution patterns. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 which covers command and scripting interpreter, specifically focusing on the execution of system commands through various interfaces. Organizations should also enforce principle of least privilege, regularly audit administrative access, and maintain comprehensive system monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Cisco has released security advisories and patches addressing this vulnerability, and immediate remediation is strongly recommended to prevent potential exploitation by threat actors.