Cisco Security Advisory
Cisco Meraki Systems Manager Agent for Windows Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
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A vulnerability in Cisco Meraki Systems Manager (SM) Agent for Windows could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.
This vulnerability is due to incorrect handling of directory search paths at runtime. A low-privileged attacker could exploit this vulnerability by placing both malicious configuration files and malicious DLL files on an affected system, which would read and execute the files when Cisco Meraki SM launches on startup. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system with SYSTEM privileges.
Cisco Meraki has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.
This advisory is available at the following link:
https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-meraki-agent-dll-hj-Ptn7PtKe
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Vulnerable Products
This vulnerability affects Cisco Meraki SM Agent for Windows.
For information about which Cisco software releases are vulnerable, see the Fixed Software section of this advisory.
Products Confirmed Not Vulnerable
Only products listed in the Vulnerable Products section of this advisory are known to be affected by this vulnerability.
Cisco has confirmed that this vulnerability does not affect Cisco Meraki SM Agent for Mac.
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There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.
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Cisco Meraki has released free software updates that address the vulnerability that is described in this advisory.
Customers may only install and expect support for software releases and feature sets for which they have purchased a license. By installing, downloading, accessing, or otherwise using such software upgrades, customers agree to follow the terms of the Cisco End User License Agreement and applicable Product Specific Terms:
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/end-user-license-agreement.htmlAdditionally, customers may only download software for which they have a valid license, procured from Cisco Meraki directly, or through a Cisco Meraki authorized reseller or partner. In most cases, this will be a maintenance upgrade to software that was previously purchased. Free security software updates do not entitle customers to a new software license, additional software feature sets, or major revision upgrades.
Customers are advised to regularly consult the advisories for Cisco Meraki products, which are available from the Cisco Security Advisories page, 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. Cisco Meraki recommends utilizing firmware best practices for firmware updates. If the information is not clear, customers are advised to contact Cisco Meraki Support.
Fixed Releases
Cisco Meraki released an update that included the fix for this vulnerability through the Meraki Dashboard on June 12, 2024. Cisco Meraki recommends upgrading to Cisco Meraki SM Agent for Windows Release 4.2.0 or later immediately. Release notes for Cisco Meraki Systems Manager Agent Release 4.2.0 are available at https://documentation.meraki.com/SM/Device_Enrollment/Systems_Manager_Agent_Release_Notes.
On systems where the Agent Version Control in the Meraki Dashboard is set to latest or to Release 4.2.0 or later, the agent deployments will upgrade to a fixed release automatically. Alternatively, see Systems Manager Agent and MDM Profile Enrollment for information on how to set the agent version on multiple devices on a network or on specific devices.
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As of the publication of this advisory, the Cisco Meraki Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) was not aware of any public announcement or malicious use of the vulnerability that is described in this advisory.
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Cisco Meraki would like to thank Bugcrowd user Jony_Juice for reporting this vulnerability through the Cisco Meraki Bugcrowd program.
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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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Version Description Section Status Date 1.0 Initial public release. - Final 2024-SEP-04
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