CVE-2024-20424 in Secure Firewall Management Center Software
Summary
by MITRE • 10/23/2024
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software, formerly Firepower Management Center Software, could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system as root.
This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation of certain HTTP requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the web-based management interface of an affected device and then sending a crafted HTTP request to the device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands with root permissions on the underlying operating system of the Cisco FMC device or to execute commands on managed Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) devices. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need valid credentials for a user account with at least the role of Security Analyst (Read Only).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/23/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical command execution flaw in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center software, formerly known as Firepower Management Center, which operates under CWE-74 and CWE-77 respectively. The vulnerability exists within the web-based management interface's insufficient input validation mechanisms, creating a pathway for authenticated remote code execution with root privileges. The flaw stems from inadequate sanitization of HTTP request parameters, allowing maliciously crafted inputs to bypass security controls and directly interact with the underlying operating system. This issue specifically affects the management plane of Cisco FMC devices and extends its impact to managed Cisco Firepower Threat Defense appliances through the compromised management interface.
The technical exploitation requires an attacker to possess valid credentials with at least Security Analyst (Read Only) privileges, which aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.1.001 for Valid Accounts and T1566.001 for Phishing. Once authenticated, the attacker can send specifically crafted HTTP requests that leverage the input validation gaps to execute arbitrary commands on the target system. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond mere privilege escalation as it allows full system compromise with root-level permissions, enabling attackers to gain complete control over both the FMC management device and any associated FTD appliances under its management. This creates a significant attack surface where a single compromised account could lead to widespread network infrastructure compromise.
The operational implications of this vulnerability are severe for enterprise security operations, as it undermines the fundamental security model of centralized firewall management. Organizations relying on Cisco FMC for threat defense orchestration face potential complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and lateral movement capabilities through managed devices. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of the software where authentication bypass mechanisms fail to properly validate user-supplied data in HTTP request processing. Security analysts with read-only access could potentially escalate their privileges without detection, creating a stealthy attack vector that could remain undetected for extended periods. This scenario particularly impacts organizations with shared administrative accounts or those that do not enforce strict role-based access controls.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patch management and enhanced monitoring of web interface access patterns. Organizations must apply Cisco's security patches promptly to address the input validation gaps in HTTP request processing. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to FMC management interfaces from unauthorized networks, while implementing strict access control policies that enforce least privilege principles. Continuous monitoring of authentication events and HTTP request patterns can help detect anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing multi-factor authentication for privileged accounts and regular security audits to identify accounts with unnecessary elevated privileges. The vulnerability highlights the importance of input validation as a core security control mechanism and demonstrates why proper sanitization of user inputs remains critical in web applications handling administrative functions.