[c-nsp] Cisco Security Advisory: Multiple Vulnerabilities in the Cisco Wireless Control System
Cisco Systems Product Security Incident Response Team
psirt at cisco.com
Thu Apr 12 12:00:00 EDT 2007
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Cisco Security Advisory: Multiple Vulnerabilities in the Cisco
Wireless Control System
Advisory ID: cisco-sa-20070412-wcs
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-sa-20070412-wcs.shtml
Revision 1.0
For Public Release 2007 April 12 1600 UTC (GMT)
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary
=======
The Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS) works in conjunction with
Cisco Aironet Lightweight Access Points, Cisco Wireless LAN
Controllers, and the Cisco Wireless Location Appliance by providing
tools for wireless LAN planning and design, system configuration,
location tracking, security monitoring, and wireless LAN management.
Cisco WCS contains multiple vulnerabilities that can result in
information disclosure, privilege escalation, and unauthorized access
through fixed authentication credentials.
Cisco has released free software updates that address these
vulnerabilities. Workarounds that mitigate these vulnerabilities are
available.
This advisory is posted at
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-sa-20070412-wcs.shtml.
Affected Products
=================
This section provides details on affected products.
Vulnerable Products
+------------------
Versions of WCS prior to 4.0.96.0 are affected by one or more of
these vulnerabilities. To identify the first fixed version for a
specific Cisco Bug ID, please see the Software Versions and Fixes
section of this advisory.
To determine the version of WCS running in a given environment, take
the following steps:
1. Log in to the WCS graphical web interface.
2. From the menu, select Help > About the Software.
Products Confirmed Not Vulnerable
+--------------------------------
No other Cisco products are currently known to be affected by these
vulnerabilities.
Details
=======
The Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS) works in conjunction with
Cisco Aironet Lightweight Access Points, Cisco Wireless LAN
Controllers, and the Cisco Wireless Location Appliance by providing
tools for wireless LAN planning and design, system configuration,
location tracking, security monitoring, and wireless LAN management.
Cisco WCS contains the following vulnerabilities:
Fixed FTP Credentials For WCS Location Backup
+--------------------------------------------
WCS can be configured to back up the data stored on the Cisco
Wireless Location Appliance via FTP. Affected versions of WCS include
a fixed user name and password for this backup operation; these
credentials cannot be changed or disabled. Knowledge of these
credentials, when combined with other properties of the FTP server,
could allow an attacker to read from and write to arbitrary files on
the server hosting the WCS application. In some cases, this could be
leveraged to alter system files and compromise the server. This
vulnerability is documented by Cisco Bug ID CSCse93014.
Account Group Privilege Escalation
+---------------------------------
The WCS authentication system contains a privilege escalation
vulnerability that allows any user with a valid user name and
password to change their account group membership. For example, a
user in the "LobbyAmbassador" group can add themselves to the
"SuperUsers" group. This privilege escalation can allow full
administrative control of WCS and the wireless networks it manages.
This vulnerability is documented by Cisco Bug IDs CSCse78596 and
CSCsg05190.
Information Disclosure to Unauthenticated Users
+----------------------------------------------
On affected versions of WCS, several directories within the WCS page
hierarchy are not password protected and could be accessed by an
unauthenticated user. Although the information available would not
allow an attacker to gain access to WCS, it would be possible to
obtain information about the organization of the network, including
access point locations. This vulnerability is documented by Cisco Bug
ID CSCsg04301.
Vulnerability Scoring Details
=============================
Cisco is providing scores for the vulnerabilities in this advisory
based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
Cisco will provide a base and temporal score. Customers can then
compute environmental scores to assist in determining the impact of
the vulnerability in individual networks.
Cisco PSIRT will set the bias in all cases to normal. Customers are
encouraged to apply the bias parameter when determining the
environmental impact of a particular vulnerability.
CVSS is a standards based scoring method that conveys vulnerability
severity and helps determine urgency and priority of response.
Cisco has provided an FAQ to answer additional questions regarding
CVSS at
http://www.cisco.com/web/about/security/intelligence/cvss-qandas.html.
Cisco has also provided a CVSS calculator to help compute the
environmental impact for individual networks at
http://intellishield.cisco.com/security/alertmanager/cvss.
CSCse93014 - Fixed FTP Credentials For WCS Location Backup
+---------------------------------------------------------
CVSS Base Score: 10
Access Vector: Remote
Access Complexity: Low
Authentication: Not Required
Confidentiality Impact: Complete
Integrity Impact: Complete
Availability Impact: Complete
Impact Bias: Normal
CVSS Temporal Score: 8.3
Exploitability: Functional
Remediation Level: Official Fix
Report Confidence: Confirmed
CSCse78596 - WCS Users can browse to unauthorized configuration pages
+--------------------------------------------------------------------
CVSS Base Score: 2.8
Access Vector: Remote
Access Complexity: Low
Authentication: Required
Confidentiality Impact: Partial
Integrity Impact: Partial
Availability Impact: None
Impact Bias: Normal
CVSS Temporal Score: 2.3
Exploitability: Functional
Remediation Level: Official Fix
Report Confidence: Confirmed
CSCsg05190 - WCS Account Group Privilege Escalation
+--------------------------------------------------
CVSS Base Score: 6
Access Vector: Remote
Access Complexity: Low
Authentication: Required
Confidentiality Impact: Complete
Integrity Impact: Complete
Availability Impact: Complete
Impact Bias: Normal
CVSS Temporal Score: 5
Exploitability: Functional
Remediation Level: Official Fix
Report Confidence: Confirmed
CSCsg04301 - WCS - Information Disclosure to Unauthenticated Users
+-----------------------------------------------------------------
CVSS Base Score: 2.3
Access Vector: Remote
Access Complexity: Low
Authentication: Not Required
Confidentiality Impact: Partial
Integrity Impact: None
Availability Impact: None
Impact Bias: Normal
CVSS Temporal Score: 1.9
Exploitability: Functional
Remediation Level: Official Fix
Report Confidence: Confirmed
Impact
======
Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities may result in the
issues described in this section.
Fixed FTP Credentials for WCS Location Backup
+--------------------------------------------
CSCse93014: This vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker to
utilize fixed credentials to read from and write to arbitrary files
on the server hosting the WCS application. In some cases, the
attacker could leverage this ability to gain privileged access to the
host.
Account Group Privilege Escalation
+---------------------------------
CSCse78596: This vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker with
a valid user account to access information from any WCS configuration
page.
CSCsg05190: This vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker with
a valid user account to escalate their privileges to the SuperUsers
group.
Information Disclosure to Unauthenticated Users
+----------------------------------------------
CSCsg04301: This vulnerability allows an unauthenticated attacker to
obtain reconnaissance information from an affected system.
Software Versions and Fixes
===========================
When considering software upgrades, also consult
http://www.cisco.com/go/psirt and any subsequent advisories to
determine exposure and a complete upgrade solution.
In all cases, customers should exercise caution to be certain the
devices to be upgraded contain sufficient memory and that current
hardware and software configurations will continue to be supported
properly by the new release. If the information is not clear, contact
the Cisco Technical Assistance Center ("TAC") or your contracted
maintenance provider for assistance.
Each row of the software table (below) describes the earliest
software version that contains the fix (the "First Fixed Release")
and the anticipated date of availability when fixes are not
available. A device running a version that is earlier than the First
Fixed Release is known to be vulnerable. The release should be
upgraded at least to the indicated version (greater than or equal to
the First Fixed Release label).
Note: Customers who currently run Cisco WCS 3.x are strongly
encouraged to obtain a PAK certificate before they begin the upgrade
process. For more information, please read the information under
Special Note for Customers Upgrading to Cisco WCS Release 4.0.
+---------------------------------------+
| Cisco Bug ID | First Fixed Release |
|---------------+-----------------------|
| CSCse93014 | 4.0.96.0 |
|---------------+-----------------------|
| CSCse78596 | 4.0.81.0 |
|---------------+-----------------------|
| CSCsg05190 | 4.0.87.0 |
|---------------+-----------------------|
| CSCsg04301 | 4.0.66.0 |
+---------------------------------------+
Special Note for Customers Upgrading to Cisco WCS Release 4.0
+------------------------------------------------------------
To request a PAK certificate to upgrade customers or partners from a
previous release of Cisco WCS to Release 4.0, contact the
wcs-customer-license at cisco.com. Cisco will attempt to respond to
requests to this alias within 48 hours Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM Pacific.
Note: This alias is only for issuing PAK certificates for Cisco WCS
license upgrades. It is not for requesting TAC support,
troubleshooting, ordering issues, or customer service issues.
Please include in the email to request the PAK certificate:
* Customer name
* Customer email
* Company name
* Exact Cisco WCS SKUs to be upgraded
* Quantity of each Cisco WCS SKU
* Cisco sales order number
* Service contract number (SAU/SASU)
For Technical Support Related to Licensing-Contact Cisco TAC at (800)
553-2447 tac at cisco.com.
For Licensing Order Related Issues-Contact Cisco customer service at
http://www.cisco.com/go/customerservice.
Workarounds
===========
This section describes workarounds for these vulnerabilities.
Fixed FTP Credentials for WCS Location Backup
+--------------------------------------------
There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
Account Group Privilege Escalation
+---------------------------------
As a workaround, customers can remove the accounts of users who
access Cisco WCS from high-risk locations such as publicly accessible
building lobbies.
Information Disclosure to Unauthenticated Users
+----------------------------------------------
There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
Additional Workarounds
+---------------------
Additional mitigations that can be deployed on Cisco devices within
the network are available in the Cisco Applied Intelligence companion
document for this advisory:
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-air-20070412-wcs.shtml
Obtaining Fixed Software
========================
Cisco has made free software available to address this vulnerability
for affected customers. Prior to deploying software, customers should
consult their maintenance provider or check the software for feature
set compatibility and known issues specific to their environment.
Customers may only install and expect support for the feature sets
they have purchased. By installing, downloading, accessing or
otherwise using such software upgrades, customers agree to be bound
by the terms of Cisco's software license terms found at
http://www.cisco.com/public/sw-license-agreement.html, or as otherwise
set forth at Cisco.com Downloads at
http://www.cisco.com/public/sw-center/sw-usingswc.shtml.
Do not contact either "psirt at cisco.com" or "security-alert at cisco.com"
for software upgrades.
Customers with Service Contracts
+-------------------------------
Customers with contracts should obtain upgraded software through
their regular update channels. For most customers, this means that
upgrades should be obtained through the Software Center on Cisco's
worldwide website at http://www.cisco.com.
Customers using Third Party Support Organizations
+------------------------------------------------
Customers whose Cisco products are provided or maintained through
prior or existing agreement with third-party support organizations
such as Cisco Partners, authorized resellers, or service providers
should contact that support organization for guidance and assistance
with the appropriate course of action in regards to this advisory.
The effectiveness of any workaround or fix is dependent on specific
customer situations such as product mix, network topology, traffic
behavior, and organizational mission. Due to the variety of affected
products and releases, customers should consult with their service
provider or support organization to ensure any applied workaround or
fix is the most appropriate for use in the intended network before it
is deployed.
Customers without Service Contracts
+----------------------------------
Customers who purchase direct from Cisco but who do not hold a Cisco
service contract and customers who purchase through third-party
vendors but are unsuccessful at obtaining fixed software through
their point of sale should get their upgrades by contacting the Cisco
Technical Assistance Center (TAC). TAC contacts are as follows.
* +1 800 553 2447 (toll free from within North America)
* +1 408 526 7209 (toll call from anywhere in the world)
* e-mail: tac at cisco.com
Have your product serial number available and give the URL of this
notice as evidence of your entitlement to a free upgrade. Free
upgrades for non-contract customers must be requested through the
TAC.
Refer to http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/687/Directory/DirTAC.shtml
for additional TAC contact information, including special localized
telephone numbers and instructions and e-mail addresses for use in
various languages.
Exploitation and Public Announcements
=====================================
The Cisco PSIRT is not aware of any public announcements or malicious
use of the vulnerabilities described in this advisory.
These vulnerabilities were discovered via internal testing and during
the investigation of customer support cases.
Status of This Notice: FINAL
============================
THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS AND DOES NOT IMPLY ANY
KIND OF GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR USE. YOUR USE OF THE
INFORMATION ON THE DOCUMENT OR MATERIALS LINKED FROM THE DOCUMENT IS
AT YOUR OWN RISK. CISCO RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR UPDATE THIS
DOCUMENT AT ANY TIME.
A stand-alone copy or Paraphrase of the text of this document that
omits the distribution URL in the following section is an
uncontrolled copy, and may lack important information or contain
factual errors.
Distribution
============
This advisory is posted on Cisco's worldwide website at
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-sa-20070412-wcs.shtml.
In addition to worldwide web posting, a text version of this notice
is clear-signed with the Cisco PSIRT PGP key and is posted to the
following e-mail and Usenet news recipients.
* cust-security-announce at cisco.com
* first-teams at first.org
* bugtraq at securityfocus.com
* vulnwatch at vulnwatch.org
* cisco at spot.colorado.edu
* cisco-nsp at puck.nether.net
* full-disclosure at lists.grok.org.uk
* comp.dcom.sys.cisco at newsgate.cisco.com
Future updates of this advisory, if any, will be placed on Cisco's
worldwide website, but may or may not be actively announced on
mailing lists or newsgroups. Users concerned about this problem are
encouraged to check the above URL for any updates.
Revision History
================
+---------------------------------------+
| Revision | | Initial |
| 1.0 | 2007-April-12 | public |
| | | release. |
+---------------------------------------+
Cisco Security Procedures
=========================
Complete information on reporting security vulnerabilities in Cisco
products, obtaining assistance with security incidents, and
registering to receive security information from Cisco, is available
on Cisco's worldwide website at
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/products_security_vulnerability_policy.html.
This includes instructions for press inquiries regarding Cisco
security notices. All Cisco security advisories are available at
http://www.cisco.com/go/psirt.
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