A critical flaw in Cisco SSM On-Prem allows attackers to change any user’s password

A vulnerability in Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem (Cisco SSM On-Prem) license servers allows threat actors to change any user’s password.

Cisco has addressed a critical vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2024-20419 (CVSS score of 10.0), in Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem (Cisco SSM On-Prem) license servers that allows attackers to change any user’s password.

The issue is due to an improper implementation in the password-change process. Threat actors can trigger the vulnerability by sending specially crafted HTTP requests to vulnerable devices.

“A vulnerability in the authentication system of Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem (SSM On-Prem) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to change the password of any user, including administrative users.” reads the advisory published by the IT giant. “This vulnerability is due to improper implementation of the password-change process. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTP requests to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow an attacker to access the web UI or API with the privileges of the compromised user.”

The security researcher Mohammed Adel discovered this vulnerability.

The vulnerability impacts Cisco SSM On-Prem (aka Cisco Smart Software Manager Satellite (SSM Satellite)) versions earlier than Release 7.0.

Cisco’s Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) is not aware of any public announcements or attacks exploiting the CVE-2024-20419 vulnerability.

The advisory states that there is no workaround for this flaw.

Pierluigi Paganini

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(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Cisco)