Researchers have recently discovered multiple vulnerabilities in the Cisco Routed PON Controller Software, which runs as a Docker container on hardware supported by Cisco IOS XR Software. These vulnerabilities, classified under CVE-2024-20483, could allow an authenticated attacker with Administrator-level privileges on the PON Manager or direct access to the PON Manager MongoDB instance to perform command injection attacks and execute arbitrary commands as the root user on the PON Controller container.
Details of the Vulnerabilities
These vulnerabilities stem from insufficient validation of the arguments passed to particular configuration commands within the Cisco Routed PON Controller Software. An attacker could exploit these shortcomings by providing crafted input as the argument of an affected configuration command. A successful exploit could subsequently enable the attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root on the PON controller.
For example, an attacker might uncover an instance where user input is concatenated directly into a shell command string, resulting in a command injection vulnerability. See this code snippet for illustration:
# Example of vulnerable code
command = "pon-controller-command " + user_input
os.system(command)
Exploit Details
For an attacker to exploit these vulnerabilities, they must have Administrator-level access to the PON Manager or direct access to the PON Manager MongoDB instance. This may involve social engineering tactics, gaining access to privileged accounts, or leveraging other vulnerabilities present in the system.
A sample exploitation scenario might look like this
1. Attacker gains Administrator-level access to the victim's PON Manager or PON Manager MongoDB instance.
Attacker provides crafted input as the argument, such as
`
'; rm -rf /; echo 'exploited
Original References and Resources
For more information, please consult the original advisory posted by Cisco, detailing these vulnerabilities:
- Cisco Security Advisory: Multiple Vulnerabilities in Cisco Routed PON Controller Software
Additionally, the following resources provide further insights and technical details regarding these vulnerabilities:
- National Vulnerability Database (NVD) Entry for CVE-2024-20483
- MITRE's CVE Entry for CVE-2024-20483
Mitigation and Recommendations
As Cisco has already released software updates addressing these vulnerabilities, users are advised to apply the latest patches promptly. Additional recommendations include:
- Periodically review and update PON Manager account roles and permissions to minimize potential attack surfaces.
- Utilize strong, unique passwords for each PON Manager user account to reduce the likelihood of unauthorized access.
- Implement security best practices such as network segregation, access control lists (ACLs), and secure remote access methods to diminish the risk of exploitation.
In conclusion, to protect your organization from these newly discovered vulnerabilities, it is crucial to apply the necessary patches and adhere to recommended security practices. Stay vigilant and safeguard your systems against command injection attacks and other potential threats.
Timeline
Published on: 09/11/2024 17:15:13 UTC
Last modified on: 10/03/2024 01:44:17 UTC