Cisco has issued patches for a significant vulnerability within its Integrated Management Controller (IMC), which could allow local attackers to elevate privileges to root. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2024-20295, stems from a flaw in the IMC’s CLI, enabling authenticated attackers to execute command injection attacks on the underlying operating system. This vulnerability affects various Cisco devices, including the 5000 Series Enterprise Network Compute Systems, Catalyst 8300 Series Edge uCPE, UCS C-Series Rack Servers, and UCS E-Series Servers.
The security flaw arises from insufficient validation of user-supplied input, making it exploitable via crafted CLI commands. Although proof-of-concept exploit code is available, there have been no reported instances of active attacks exploiting this vulnerability. This disclosure follows previous security incidents involving Cisco, including the release of patches for zero-day vulnerabilities used to breach thousands of IOS XE devices and instances of remote code execution.
Cisco’s Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) has emphasized the importance of promptly applying patches to mitigate the risk posed by this vulnerability. In addition to releasing patches, Cisco has provided guidance on securing vulnerable devices and monitoring for any signs of exploitation. This latest disclosure underscores the ongoing efforts by Cisco and other organizations to address and mitigate security vulnerabilities in their products, highlighting the need for robust cybersecurity practices and proactive measures to protect against potential threats.
