A recently discovered vulnerability (CVE-2024-20272) in the web-based management interface of Cisco Unity Connection has been found to potentially allow unauthenticated, remote attackers to upload arbitrary files to an affected system. Consequently, the attackers could execute commands on the underlying operating system. This vulnerability has come to light due to a lack of authentication in a specific API and improper validation of user-supplied data. This post will delve into the details of this vulnerability, including code snippets, links to original references, and possible ways to exploit it.

Exploit Details

An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by uploading arbitrary files to an affected system. If the exploit is successful, the attacker could store malicious files on the system, execute arbitrary commands on the operating system, and elevate privileges to root.

# Attacker uploads malicious file via specific API
POST /api/vulnerable_endpoint
{
  "filename": "malicious_file",
  "data": "base64_encoded_data"
}

Upon successfully uploading the file, the attacker can then execute arbitrary commands on the system using the uploaded malicious file:

# Attacker executes arbitrary commands using the malicious file
GET /installed_applications/malicious_file?cmd=desired_command_to_execute

With this exploit, an attacker can potentially gain root access to the system, jeopardizing the integrity of the affected Cisco Unity Connection server.

For more information on this vulnerability, see the following original references

1. Cisco Security Advisory: https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20241027-cuc
2. CVE Details: https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2024-20272

Mitigation

To mitigate this vulnerability, Cisco has released software updates that address the issue. Affected users should update their software as soon as possible to prevent exploitation. Additionally, regular security audits and network segmentation can help detect and minimize the impact of this vulnerability on systems using Cisco Unity Connection.

Conclusion

CVE-2024-20272 is a critical vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Unity Connection, which could allow unauthenticated, remote attackers to upload arbitrary files and execute commands on the underlying operating system. Immediate action should be taken to prevent the exploit and to protect the system from any possible malicious activity. Stay vigilant and keep your systems updated to ensure that your networks and infrastructure are secure.

Timeline

Published on: 01/17/2024 17:15:12 UTC
Last modified on: 01/17/2024 17:35:02 UTC