CyberWatch

Critical Vulnerabilities Patched for Cisco Expressway Series Devices

By

By

Access Point Consulting

Summary

Cisco released an advisory on February 7th detailing three cross-site-request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities with CVSS 3.1 scores ranging from 8.2-9.6. The Critical vulnerabilities are CVE-2024-20252 and CVE-2024-20254, they allow for an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct CSRF attacks on an affected system. This is done through persuading a user of the API to follow a crafted link which would allow the attacker to perform arbitrary actions with the user’s privilege level. If this user is an administrator, they could modify system configuration and create new privileged accounts. The other vulnerability CVE-2024-20255, has a similar method of attack, but only allows an attacker, if they have obtained an administrator level account, to overwrite system configuration settings which could result in a denial-of-service condition.

Impact Assessment

These vulnerabilities can have a high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability depending on the user account which is obtained through exploitation. These vulnerabilities affect Cisco Expressway Control and Cisco Expressway Edge devices, particularly the API.

Affected Software

  • Cisco Expressway Series prior to 14.3.4
  • Cisco Expressway Series 15.0

What It Means for You

Identify if your organization uses Cisco Expressway series devices. If you do, update to a fixed release and apply the Cross-Site Request Forgery Protection detailed in their administrator guide.

Remediation

If you are on a Cisco release earlier than 14.0 it is advised to migrate to either 14.3.4 which allows the fix to be applied, or 15.0.0 which also allows the fix to be applied.

To enable the fix, you must run the xconfiguration Security CSRFProtection status : “Enabled” command. Follow this administrator guide provided for details on how to apply the fix.

Business Implications

These vulnerabilities could have a high impact on business operations if exploited which can cause disruption, manipulation of configuration of security tools, and creation of attacker-controlled administrator accounts. This can cause financial and reputational loss from disaster recovery and work inefficiency.

Access Point Technology Recommends

Apply the fix: Ensuring that when the patch is applied to perform the necessary fix to the configuration.

Communication Sanitation + Training: Due to this vulnerability requiring an individual click on a link for it to be successful. Monitoring communication channels IE: Teams, Email, for any suspicious links and ensuring the organization is training at dealing with and identifying suspicious links is critical for not only these vulnerabilities, but for security at an organizational level.

Associated Bulletins

https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-expressway-csrf-KnnZDMj3

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-20252

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-20254

Resources

Trending Articles & Security Reports

Resources

CyberWatch

November 22, 2024

Patch Updates, New Malware Threats, and the Ongoing Supply Chain Battle

On this episode of the CyberWatch podcast, there are updates to software across the application and OS spectrum. New malicious campaigns are threatening victims of all sizes, and researchers have performed dissections on malware to give defenders new clues about just what it is they're fighting. All this today, in CyberWatch.

Find out more
October 25, 2024

Ransomware, Supply Chain Attacks, and Nation-State Threats

CyberWatch, by Access Point Consulting, is your weekly source for emerging cybersecurity news, regulatory updates, and threat intelligence. Backed by experts in security consulting, regulatory compliance, and security operations, Access Point enables you to manage cyber risks, respond to incidents, and drive innovation in your company. Read here or on our website; listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts; or watch on YouTube.website; listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts; or watch on YouTube. .

Find out more
October 7, 2024

VINs and Losses: How Hackers Take Kias for a Ride

In the age of smart cars and connected devices, convenience often comes with hidden risks. A recently discovered critical vulnerability in Kia vehicles serves as a stark reminder of how our increasingly digital world is making cars new targets for cyberattacks. This vulnerability allowed hackers to remotely control various vehicle functions—using nothing more than a car's license plate number. It highlights the growing threat of cyberattacks on connected cars and the importance of cybersecurity in the automotive industry.

Find out more