A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco ISE could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to bypass the authorization mechanisms for specific file management functions.
This vulnerability is due to lack of server-side validation of Administrator permissions. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting a crafted HTTP request to an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to upload files to a location that should be restricted. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need valid Read-Only Administrator credentials.
Weakness
The product is composed of a server that relies on the client to implement a mechanism that is intended to protect the server.
Potential Mitigations
- For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
- Even though client-side checks provide minimal benefits with respect to server-side security, they are still useful. First, they can support intrusion detection. If the server receives input that should have been rejected by the client, then it may be an indication of an attack. Second, client-side error-checking can provide helpful feedback to the user about the expectations for valid input. Third, there may be a reduction in server-side processing time for accidental input errors, although this is typically a small savings.
References