CVE-2022-20836: Multiple Stored XSS Vulnerabilities in Cisco Firepower Management Center Software Web-based Management Interface

Summary: Multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in the web-based management interface of Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) Software. These vulnerabilities, identified by CVE-2022-20836, could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) attack against a user of the interface of an affected device, potentially causing significant security and availability impact. This long-read post discusses the details of these vulnerabilities, along with code snippets, links to original references, and exploit details.

Introduction: The Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) is a comprehensive management solution for Cisco Firepower Threat Defense and Firepower Devices. The web-based management interface of this software is designed to provide users with an easy way to manage and monitor their security solutions. However, multiple vulnerabilities have been found in the interface, which can allow an attacker to insert malicious scripts and access sensitive information.

Vulnerability Details: The CVE-2022-20836 vulnerabilities are due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input by the web-based management interface of the affected software. As a result, an attacker can exploit these vulnerabilities by inserting crafted input into various data fields in the affected interface. When successfully exploited, this could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary script code in the context of the interface or access sensitive, browser-based information.

Code Snippet

<script>alert('XSS')</script>

In some cases, these vulnerabilities can also cause temporary availability impact to portions of the FMC Dashboard, leading to loss of operational visibility and control.

Exploit Details: To exploit these vulnerabilities, an attacker would need to be authenticated and have remote access to the web-based management interface. However, once authenticated, the attacker can insert crafted input, such as the above code snippet, into various data fields in the affected interface. This malicious input could then be executed by other users of the interface when viewing related pages, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information or other undesirable consequences.

Mitigation and Remediation: Cisco has released software updates that address these vulnerabilities. Users of the affected software are advised to install the appropriate updates as soon as possible to protect their systems from exploitation. For more information, refer to the Cisco Security Advisory: CVE-2022-20836.

In addition to applying the necessary software updates, users should adopt best security practices, including limiting access to the web-based management interface, enforcing strong authentication policies, and monitoring their systems for signs of unauthorized access or malicious activity.

Conclusion: While these vulnerabilities are not considered highly critical, they do represent a risk to users of the Cisco Firepower Management Center web-based management interface. By exploiting these vulnerabilities, an attacker could gain unauthorized access to sensitive information and potentially impact the availability of the FMC Dashboard. Users of the affected software should take prompt action to secure their systems by applying the available software updates and adopting recommended security practices.

Timeline

Published on: 11/15/2022 21:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/18/2022 18:14:00 UTC