That could be any user logged into the CLI. Cisco is famously a network appliance company and they make admin available over the network. Anyone who can get to the LAN/VLAN these appliances are on can exploit this. So not specifically physical access.
Even if it’s not directly accessible from the internet on its own, if it’s accessible from an host exposed to the internet then anyone that can compromise a single host can immediately compromise the firewall.
“It’s only exposed to the outdated wordpress server” is effectively the same as being exposed to the internet.
Yeah that’s my point. Even if the manufacturer actually limits the IP config on the mgmt interface to be configured as not routable over the internet, it could intentionally be on a subnet accessible by some kind of ssh jump server or bastion host. (Or in your example, maybe unintentionally via the Wordpress server.)
Right in the Security AdvisoryEdit: NVM, later it says
That could be any user logged into the CLI. Cisco is famously a network appliance company and they make admin available over the network. Anyone who can get to the LAN/VLAN these appliances are on can exploit this. So not specifically physical access.
You are right:
Holy fuck.
You should have gone with “correct”.
Is that needed or useful criticism?
I think it’s more a reference to your username than actual criticism.
Yeah, I thought that would land better.
Yup, that’s Cisco alright
Management interface is only available locally
The management interface can 100% be put on LAN and often is.
The management interface is only available with physical access
Nothing prevents you from putting this on a LAN that can be accessed from over the internet.
Even if it’s not directly accessible from the internet on its own, if it’s accessible from an host exposed to the internet then anyone that can compromise a single host can immediately compromise the firewall.
“It’s only exposed to the outdated wordpress server” is effectively the same as being exposed to the internet.
Yeah that’s my point. Even if the manufacturer actually limits the IP config on the mgmt interface to be configured as not routable over the internet, it could intentionally be on a subnet accessible by some kind of ssh jump server or bastion host. (Or in your example, maybe unintentionally via the Wordpress server.)