CVE-2017-6767 - Improper Privilege Management

Severity

46%

Complexity

39%

Confidentiality

106%

A vulnerability in Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to gain higher privileges than the account is assigned. The attacker will be granted the privileges of the last user to log in, regardless of whether those privileges are higher or lower than what should have been granted. The attacker cannot gain root-level privileges. The vulnerability is due to a limitation with how Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) grants privileges to remotely authenticated users when login occurs via SSH directly to the local management interface of the APIC. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the targeted device. The attacker's privilege level will be modified to match that of the last user to log in via SSH. An exploit could allow the attacker to gain elevated privileges and perform CLI commands that should be restricted by the attacker's configured role. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvc34335. Known Affected Releases: 1.0(1e), 1.0(1h), 1.0(1k), 1.0(1n), 1.0(2j), 1.0(2m), 1.0(3f), 1.0(3i), 1.0(3k), 1.0(3n), 1.0(4h), 1.0(4o); 1.1(0.920a), 1.1(1j), 1.1(3f); 1.2 Base, 1.2(2), 1.2(3), 1.2.2; 1.3(1), 1.3(2), 1.3(2f); 2.0 Base, 2.0(1).

A vulnerability in Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to gain higher privileges than the account is assigned. The attacker will be granted the privileges of the last user to log in, regardless of whether those privileges are higher or lower than what should have been granted. The attacker cannot gain root-level privileges. The vulnerability is due to a limitation with how Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) grants privileges to remotely authenticated users when login occurs via SSH directly to the local management interface of the APIC. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the targeted device. The attacker's privilege level will be modified to match that of the last user to log in via SSH. An exploit could allow the attacker to gain elevated privileges and perform CLI commands that should be restricted by the attacker's configured role. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvc34335. Known Affected Releases: 1.0(1e), 1.0(1h), 1.0(1k), 1.0(1n), 1.0(2j), 1.0(2m), 1.0(3f), 1.0(3i), 1.0(3k), 1.0(3n), 1.0(4h), 1.0(4o); 1.1(0.920a), 1.1(1j), 1.1(3f); 1.2 Base, 1.2(2), 1.2(3), 1.2.2; 1.3(1), 1.3(2), 1.3(2f); 2.0 Base, 2.0(1).

CVSS 3.0 Base Score 7.1. CVSS Attack Vector: network. CVSS Attack Complexity: high. CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

CVSS 2.0 Base Score 4.6. CVSS Attack Vector: network. CVSS Attack Complexity: high. CVSS Vector: (AV:N/AC:H/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P).

Demo Examples

Improper Privilege Management

CWE-269

This code temporarily raises the program's privileges to allow creation of a new user folder.


               
return True
return False#avoid CWE-22 and CWE-78
lowerPrivileges()
return False

While the program only raises its privilege level to create the folder and immediately lowers it again, if the call to os.mkdir() throws an exception, the call to lowerPrivileges() will not occur. As a result, the program is indefinitely operating in a raised privilege state, possibly allowing further exploitation to occur.

Improper Privilege Management

CWE-269

Evidence of privilege change:


               
seteuid(getuid());/* do some stuff */

               
}
// privileged code goes here, for example:// nothing to return

Improper Privilege Management

CWE-269

This code intends to allow only Administrators to print debug information about a system.


               
}
ADMIN,USER,GUEST
}
}
break;
break;
System.out.println("You must be logged in to perform this command");

While the intention was to only allow Administrators to print the debug information, the code as written only excludes those the with the role of "GUEST". Someone with the role of "ADMIN" or "USER" will be allowed access, which goes against the original intent. An attacker may be able to use this debug information to craft an attack on the system.

Improper Privilege Management

CWE-269

This code allows someone with the role of "ADMIN" or "OPERATOR" to reset a user's password. The role of "OPERATOR" is intended to have less privileges than an "ADMIN", but still be able to help users with small issues such as forgotten passwords.


               
}
ADMIN,OPERATOR,USER,GUEST
}
}
}
break;
break;
break;
System.out.println("You must be logged in to perform this command");

This code does not check the role of the user whose password is being reset. It is possible for an Operator to gain Admin privileges by resetting the password of an Admin account and taking control of that account.

Overview

Type

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller

First reported 7 years ago

2017-08-17 20:29:00

Last updated 5 years ago

2019-10-03 00:03:00

Affected Software

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) 1.0(1e)

1.0\(1e\)

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) 1.0(1h)

1.0\(1h\)

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) 1.0(1k)

1.0\(1k\)

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) 1.0(1n)

1.0\(1n\)

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) 1.0(2j)

1.0\(2j\)

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) 1.0(2m)

1.0\(2m\)

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) 1.0(3f)

1.0\(3f\)

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) 1.0(3i)

1.0\(3i\)

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) 1.0(3k)

1.0\(3k\)

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) 1.0(3n)

1.0\(3n\)

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) 1.0(4h)

1.0\(4h\)

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) 1.0(4o)

1.0\(4o\)

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller 1.1(0.920a)

1.1\(0.920a\)

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) 1.1(1j)

1.1\(1j\)

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) 1.1(3f)

1.1\(3f\)

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