CVE-2017-6713 : Security Advisory and Response
Learn about CVE-2017-6713 affecting Cisco Elastic Services Controller. Discover the impact, affected versions, and mitigation steps for this critical security flaw.
Cisco Elastic Services Controller (ESC) has a security flaw in its Play Framework that could allow unauthorized access to the system without authentication. This vulnerability affects versions prior to 2.3.1.434 and 2.3.2.
Understanding CVE-2017-6713
This CVE relates to a critical security issue in Cisco Elastic Services Controller (ESC) that could lead to complete system compromise.
What is CVE-2017-6713?
The vulnerability in the Play Framework of Cisco ESC allows attackers to exploit static and default credentials in the ESC UI, granting them unauthorized access to the system without authentication.
The Impact of CVE-2017-6713
The flaw enables attackers to gain administrative control over the targeted system by extracting static credentials from an existing Cisco ESC installation.
Technical Details of CVE-2017-6713
This section provides in-depth technical insights into the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Description
The vulnerability arises from the use of static and default credentials in the Cisco ESC UI, shared across multiple installations, allowing attackers to generate administrative session tokens.
Affected Systems and Versions
- Product: Cisco Elastic Services Controller
- Versions Affected: Releases prior to 2.3.1.434 and 2.3.2
- Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvc76627
Exploitation Mechanism
Attackers can extract static credentials from an existing Cisco ESC installation to create an admin session token, providing access to all instances of the ESC web UI.
Mitigation and Prevention
Protecting systems from CVE-2017-6713 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.
Immediate Steps to Take
- Update Cisco ESC to versions 2.3.1.434 or 2.3.2 to mitigate the vulnerability.
- Change default credentials and ensure strong, unique passwords are used.
Long-Term Security Practices
- Implement multi-factor authentication to enhance access control.
- Regularly monitor and audit system access and privilege levels.
Patching and Updates
- Apply security patches provided by Cisco to address the vulnerability.