CVE-2018-0440 : What You Need to Know

Cisco Data Center Network Manager Privilege Escalation to Underlying Operating System Vulnerability

Understanding CVE-2018-0440

This CVE involves a vulnerability in the web interface of Cisco Data Center Network Manager that could allow an authenticated application administrator to execute commands on the underlying operating system with elevated privileges.

What is CVE-2018-0440?

The weakness in the web interface of Cisco Data Center Network Manager allows a designated application administrator to run commands on the underlying operating system with elevated privileges due to insufficient validation of user input within an HTTP request.

The Impact of CVE-2018-0440

The vulnerability enables an attacker, after authenticating to the application, to send a crafted HTTP request, granting them the ability to execute commands on the underlying operating system as the privileged root user.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-0440

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from incomplete input validation of user input within an HTTP request.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Cisco Data Center Network Manager
Vendor: Cisco
Affected Version: n/a

Exploitation Mechanism

Attacker authenticates to the application and sends a carefully constructed HTTP request to exploit the vulnerability.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply the latest security patches provided by Cisco.
Monitor network traffic for any suspicious activity.
Restrict access to the affected system to authorized personnel only.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch all software and systems.
Conduct security training for employees to recognize and report potential security threats.

Patching and Updates

Cisco has released patches to address this vulnerability. Ensure timely installation of these patches to secure the system.