Cisco Security Advisory
Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller Access Control Vulnerability
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AV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C/E:H/RL:OF/RC:C
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A vulnerability in the cluster management configuration of the Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) and the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series ACI Mode Switch could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to access the APIC as the root user.
The vulnerability is due to improper implementation of access controls in the APIC filesystem. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by accessing the cluster management configuration of the APIC. An exploit could allow the attacker to gain access to the APIC as the root user and perform root-level commands.
Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. This advisory is available at the following link:
https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20150722-apic
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Vulnerable Products
The following products are known to be affected by this vulnerability:
- Application Policy Infrastructure Controllers running software versions prior to 1.1(1j), 1.0(3o) and 1.0(4o).
- Cisco Nexus 9000 Series ACI Mode Switches running software versions prior to Release 11.1(1j) and 11.0(4o).
Products Confirmed Not Vulnerable
No other Cisco products are currently known to be affected by this vulnerability.
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The Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (Cisco APIC) is the unifying point of automation and management for the Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) fabric. The Cisco APIC provides centralized access to all fabric information, optimizes the application lifecycle for scale and performance, and supports flexible application provisioning across physical and virtual resources.
A vulnerability in the cluster management configuration of the Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) and the Cisco Nexus 9000 Switch ACI Mode Switch could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to gain access to the APIC as the root user.
The vulnerability is due to improper implementation of access controls in the APIC filesystem. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by accessing the cluster management configuration of the APIC. An exploit could allow the attacker to gain access to the APIC as the root user and perform root-level commands.
This vulnerability is documented in Cisco bug ID CSCuu72094 (registered customers only) and CSCuv11991 (registered customers only) and has been assigned Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) ID CVE-2015-4235.
Cisco has released free software updates that address this vulnerability. This advisory is available at the following link:
https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20150722-apic
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There are currently no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
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When considering software upgrades, customers are advised to consult the Cisco Security Advisories, Responses, and Alerts archive at http://www.cisco.com/go/psirt and review subsequent advisories to determine exposure and a complete upgrade solution.
In all cases, customers should ensure that the devices to be upgraded contain sufficient memory and confirm that current hardware and software configurations will continue to be supported properly by the new release. If the information is not clear, customers are advised to contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) or their contracted maintenance providers.
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The Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) is not aware of any public announcements or malicious use of the vulnerability that is described in this advisory.
This vulnerability was reported to Cisco during an internal security evaluation.
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To learn about Cisco security vulnerability disclosure policies and publications, see the Security Vulnerability Policy. This document also contains instructions for obtaining fixed software and receiving security vulnerability information from Cisco.
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Show LessRevision 1.0 2015-July-22 Initial public release.
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