CVE-2026-94578 in Fabric OS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/08/2026
Brocade Fabric OS versions before 10.0.1 contain an authorization logic vulnerability in the AAA (Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting) integration framework allows remote authenticated users to gain root-equivalent chassis access controls. By returning specific, crafted Vendor-Specific Attributes (VSAs) or directory claims from an external identity provider (such as RADIUS, LDAP, TACACS+, or Federated IDP), an account can bypass administrative role restriction checks during session establishment.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/08/2026
The vulnerability identified in Brocade Fabric OS versions prior to 10.0.1 represents a critical failure in the authorization logic within the Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting integration framework. This flaw allows remote authenticated users to escalate their privileges significantly by bypassing administrative role restrictions during session establishment. The core of the issue lies in how the system processes Vendor-Specific Attributes or directory claims returned from external identity providers such as RADIUS, LDAP, TACACS+, or Federated Identity Providers. Instead of strictly validating these attributes against predefined security policies and role mappings, the implementation fails to enforce proper access control checks, thereby granting root-equivalent chassis access controls to accounts that should be restricted to lower-privilege roles.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability stems from an improper enforcement of authorization rules within the AAA subsystem. When a user authenticates via one of the supported external protocols, the identity provider returns specific attributes intended to define the user's role and permissions. The Brocade Fabric OS implementation incorrectly interprets or processes these Vendor-Specific Attributes without adequate validation against the local security policy database. This logic error effectively allows an attacker who has valid credentials for a low-privilege account to manipulate the authentication response, either by crafting specific VSA values or exploiting misconfigured directory claims, to trick the system into assigning administrative privileges that were not intended for that user identity.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to the nature of network infrastructure management. Gaining root-equivalent chassis access controls provides an attacker with complete control over the Fibre Channel fabric and associated storage area networks. This level of access enables the modification of critical configuration settings, interception or manipulation of data traffic, disabling of security logging mechanisms, and potentially the deployment of persistent backdoors within the network infrastructure. Since these systems often manage mission-critical enterprise data, such unauthorized elevation can lead to significant business disruption, data exfiltration, and compromise of downstream systems connected to the fabric. The ability to bypass administrative role restrictions undermines the principle of least privilege, which is fundamental to secure system architecture.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-269, Improper Privilege Assignment, as it involves a failure to correctly assign user privileges based on their authenticated identity and intended role. Furthermore, from an offensive security perspective, this flaw facilitates lateral movement and privilege escalation within the network environment, mapping closely to ATT&CK technique T1078, Valid Accounts, specifically when combined with techniques for privilege escalation such as T1548, Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism. The exploitation relies on manipulating authentication artifacts rather than exploiting a buffer overflow or injection flaw, highlighting that even robust cryptographic implementations can be undermined by flawed application logic in identity management systems.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve upgrading to Brocade Fabric OS version 10.0.1 or later, where the authorization logic has been corrected to properly validate Vendor-Specific Attributes and directory claims against strict role-based access control policies. In environments where immediate patching is not feasible, administrators should implement network-level controls such as firewall rules to restrict AAA server communication to only trusted IP addresses and enforce strong password complexity requirements for all administrative accounts. Additionally, enabling comprehensive logging of authentication events and monitoring for anomalous privilege escalation attempts can help detect exploitation activities. Regular audits of identity provider configurations and role mappings are also recommended to ensure that no misconfigurations exist that could be leveraged through this logic flaw.