CVE-2019-15957 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

Cisco Small Business Routers RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, and RV325 are affected by a command injection vulnerability that allows a remote attacker with administrative privileges to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges.

Understanding CVE-2019-15957

Certain Cisco Small Business RV Series Routers have a flaw in their web-based management interface that could be exploited by a remotely authenticated attacker with administrative privileges.

What is CVE-2019-15957?

The vulnerability in the affected routers allows an attacker to inject arbitrary commands into the underlying operating system, leading to the execution of these commands with root privileges due to inadequate validation of user-provided input.

The Impact of CVE-2019-15957

The vulnerability has a CVSS base score of 7.2, indicating a high severity level. It poses a significant risk to confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with a low attack complexity but requiring high privileges.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-15957

Cisco Small Business Routers RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, and RV325 are susceptible to command injection attacks.

Vulnerability Description

The flaw lies in the web-based management interface, allowing an authenticated attacker to inject malicious commands into the system, which are then executed with root privileges.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Cisco Small Business RV Series Router Firmware
Vendor: Cisco
Version: n/a

Exploitation Mechanism

An attacker with administrative privileges can input malicious commands through a specific field in the device's web-based management interface.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take:

Apply patches or updates provided by Cisco to address the vulnerability.
Restrict network access to the management interface of the affected devices.
Monitor network traffic for signs of exploitation.

Long-Term Security Practices:

Regularly update firmware and software to protect against known vulnerabilities.
Implement strong access controls and authentication mechanisms.
Conduct security assessments and penetration testing to identify and address weaknesses.
Stay informed about security advisories and best practices.
Consider network segmentation to limit the impact of potential attacks.
Educate users and administrators about security risks and best practices.

Patching and Updates

Cisco has released patches to mitigate the command injection vulnerability in the affected routers.