Critical Cisco Software Vulnerability: Public PoC Exploit Code for CVE-2024-20419 Released

August 8, 2024

Cisco has recently enhanced its security advisory to alert users about a critical vulnerability, tagged as CVE-2024-20419, which impacts the Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem (Cisco SSM On-Prem) license servers and its predecessor, the Cisco Smart Software Manager Satellite (SSM Satellite). The existence of proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit code in the public domain calls for immediate action from administrators to upgrade their systems to avoid potential exploitation.

CVE-2024-20419 is a high-risk vulnerability that arises from an unverified password change weakness in the authentication mechanism of Cisco SSM On-Prem. This flaw allows unauthenticated, remote attackers to modify any user’s password, including administrators, without the requirement of the original credentials. Successful exploitation of this flaw would allow threat actors to gain unauthorized access to the web UI or API with the privileges of the compromised user. The vulnerability originates from an improper implementation of the password-change process.

Attackers can take advantage of this flaw by sending specially crafted HTTP requests to a vulnerable device. As Cisco stated, “A successful exploit could allow an attacker to access the web UI or API with the privileges of the compromised user.” This critical flaw affects all Cisco SSM On-Prem installations earlier than Release 7.0, including the SSM Satellite.

The Cisco SSM On-Prem, a key component of Cisco Smart Licensing, aids service providers and Cisco partners in managing customer accounts and product licenses, making it a vital system for numerous organizations. The Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) has verified that the PoC exploit code for the CVE-2024-20419 vulnerability is now publicly accessible, enhancing the risk of widespread attacks.

While Cisco has not reported any malicious exploitation of this flaw at present, the public availability of the exploit code necessitates immediate action from organizations to mitigate the risk. Cisco has clarified that no workarounds exist to address this vulnerability. The only viable solution to secure vulnerable systems is to promptly upgrade to a fixed release.

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