Cisco Meeting Management has recently been flagged for a critical privilege escalation vulnerability that could potentially compromise the security of affected devices. This vulnerability, discovered in the REST API component of the platform, allows an attacker to escalate their privileges from a low-level authenticated user to an administrator, granting unauthorized access to sensitive features and settings.
The vulnerability, officially identified by advisory ID cisco-sa-cmm-privesc-uy2Vf8pc, was made public on January 22, 2025, at 16:00 GMT. With a CVSS score of 9.9, indicating its severity, the vulnerability is classified as critical and tracked under CVE-2025-20156 and Cisco Bug ID CSCwi88558.
The root cause of the issue lies in the insufficient authorization enforcement on the REST API in Cisco Meeting Management. This lack of proper validation allows a remote attacker with low-level privileges to exploit the vulnerability by sending malicious requests to a specific endpoint. If successful, the attacker could gain administrator-level access to the device, potentially compromising the integrity and security of edge nodes managed by Cisco Meeting Management.
All versions of Cisco Meeting Management are susceptible to this vulnerability, necessitating immediate action for users of the platform. It is critical for users to verify if their current software release is impacted and take the necessary steps to address the issue.
The affected versions include releases up to and including version 3.8, with version 3.9.1 providing the required updates to mitigate the flaw. Notably, version 3.10 is not vulnerable to this specific privilege escalation issue.
Exploitation of the vulnerability occurs when a low-privileged authenticated user sends crafted API requests to certain endpoints in the REST API, bypassing authorization checks and elevating the attacker’s privileges. While no reports of public exploitation or malicious use have surfaced, the severity of the vulnerability underscores the importance of prompt system updates.
Unfortunately, there are no workarounds available to mitigate this vulnerability, emphasizing the necessity of applying software updates provided by Cisco. The recommended approach for affected users is to upgrade to the fixed software versions outlined in the advisory and prioritize system security.
To assist users in addressing the vulnerability, Cisco has issued software updates for affected versions of Cisco Meeting Management. Users are encouraged to migrate to the recommended fixed releases as outlined in the advisory and seek support from the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) if needed.
In conclusion, the Privilege Escalation Vulnerability in the Cisco Meeting Management REST API poses significant security risks that organizations must mitigate promptly. By updating to the latest fixed releases and following Cisco’s guidance, users can minimize the risk of unauthorized access and maintain control over their systems. It is crucial for affected users to adhere to the recommended actions to safeguard their devices and data from potential exploitation.