Cisco IOS XE Software Web UI Command Injection Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability

CVE-2019-12651 is a command injection vulnerability in the web-based user interface (Web UI) of Cisco IOS XE Software. The flaw exists because the software does not properly validate user-supplied input to certain fields of the web UI. An authenticated, remote attacker can send crafted HTTP requests to an affected device to exploit this vulnerability. Affected versions include Cisco IOS XE Software releases prior to the fixed versions indicated in the Cisco Security Advisory [1].

Exploitation

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must have valid administrative credentials (privilege level 15) for the affected device. The attacker can then send specially crafted HTTP requests to the web UI, which triggers the command injection. The exploitation does not require user interaction beyond the initial authentication [1].

Impact

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to execute arbitrary commands with elevated privileges (privilege level 15) on the underlying operating system of the affected device. This can lead to full compromise of the device, including disclosure of sensitive information, modification of configuration, and denial of service conditions [1].

Mitigation

Cisco has released free software updates to address this vulnerability. The fixed versions are detailed in the Cisco Security Advisory [1]. Customers should upgrade to the appropriate patched release. There are no workarounds that mitigate the vulnerability; the recommended mitigation is to apply the update. The vulnerability is not listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.