CVE-2023-20023 : Security Advisory and Response

This CVE involves multiple vulnerabilities in specific Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) CLI commands that could allow an authenticated, local attacker to perform command injection attacks on the underlying operating system and elevate privileges to root.

Understanding CVE-2023-20023

Cisco Identity Services Engine Privilege Escalation Vulnerabilities are a series of security flaws that affect certain CLI commands within the Cisco ISE software, potentially enabling an attacker with valid Administrator privileges to execute malicious commands, leading to privilege escalation to root access.

What is CVE-2023-20023?

The vulnerabilities in the Cisco ISE CLI commands arise from insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit these flaws by submitting a crafted CLI command, ultimately allowing them to escalate their privileges to root on the affected device.

The Impact of CVE-2023-20023

If successfully exploited, the vulnerabilities could have a significant impact by granting an attacker elevated privileges to the root level within the affected Cisco Identity Services Engine software. This could lead to unauthorized access, data manipulation, or other malicious activities.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-20023

These vulnerabilities have been assigned a CVSSv3.1 base score of 6, categorizing them as of medium severity. The attack vector is local, with low attack complexity, requiring high privileges, and no user interaction. The confidentiality and integrity impacts are high, while the availability impact is none.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerabilities result from inadequate validation of user inputs in specific CLI commands of the Cisco Identity Services Engine software, enabling an attacker with valid Administrator privileges to exploit this weakness and elevate their privileges to root level.

Affected Systems and Versions

The vulnerabilities impact Cisco Identity Services Engine Software. The specific affected version is not available, as denoted by "n/a."

Exploitation Mechanism

To exploit these vulnerabilities, an attacker needs valid Administrator privileges on the targeted device. By submitting a crafted CLI command, the attacker can manipulate the input validation process and execute unauthorized commands, leading to privilege escalation to root.

Mitigation and Prevention

To mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2023-20023, immediate steps should be taken to secure the Cisco Identity Services Engine environment and prevent potential exploitation of these vulnerabilities.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update to the latest version of Cisco Identity Services Engine software to patch the vulnerabilities.
Implement strong access controls and limit the privileges of users to minimize the risk of unauthorized escalation.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor and audit CLI commands for unusual activities that could indicate potential exploitation.
Provide ongoing security training for administrators to enhance awareness of best practices for preventing command injection attacks.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security advisories from Cisco and promptly apply any patches or updates released to address known vulnerabilities, including those related to privilege escalation in the Cisco Identity Services Engine software.