CVE-2004-1658 in Personal Firewall
Summary
by MITRE
Kerio Personal Firewall 4.0 (KPF4) allows local users with administrative privileges to bypass the Application Security feature and execute arbitrary processes by directly writing to \device\physicalmemory to restore the running kernel s SDT ServiceTable.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/23/2018
This vulnerability exists in Kerio Personal Firewall version 4.0 where local users with administrative privileges can exploit a flaw in the kernel-level security implementation to bypass application security controls. The vulnerability stems from the firewall's inadequate protection mechanisms that allow direct memory access to critical kernel structures. When an attacker with administrative rights writes directly to the physical memory device \device\physicalmemory, they can manipulate the kernel's Service Descriptor Table which serves as the kernel's interface for system calls. This manipulation effectively restores the kernel's ServiceTable, thereby allowing execution of arbitrary processes that would normally be blocked by the Application Security feature.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves leveraging the administrative privileges to access kernel-level memory regions that should normally be protected from direct user-space manipulation. This approach aligns with attack patterns documented in the ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation techniques where adversaries gain elevated privileges to manipulate system-level components. The vulnerability represents a critical flaw in kernel security architecture where proper access controls are bypassed, allowing direct memory manipulation that fundamentally undermines the firewall's security model. The Service Descriptor Table manipulation technique is particularly dangerous as it operates at the kernel level where all system calls are routed through this table, making it a prime target for privilege escalation attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it completely undermines the security posture of systems running Kerio Personal Firewall 4.0. Once exploited, attackers can bypass all application security restrictions, execute unauthorized processes, and potentially establish persistent backdoors within the system. This vulnerability affects the fundamental integrity of the firewall's protection mechanisms, allowing malicious actors to circumvent all application-level security policies that the firewall is designed to enforce. The implications extend beyond immediate privilege escalation to potential system compromise and data exfiltration capabilities. Organizations using this firewall version face significant risk of unauthorized access and system infiltration, as the vulnerability provides a direct path to kernel-level control that bypasses all user-space security measures.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of the Kerio Personal Firewall software to address the kernel memory access flaw. System administrators should implement strict access controls and privilege management to minimize the number of users with administrative rights. The implementation of additional kernel-level protections such as kernel address space layout randomization and memory protection mechanisms can help prevent direct physical memory access. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring solutions that can detect unauthorized memory access attempts and suspicious kernel-level activities. Compliance with security standards such as those outlined in the CWE database for kernel security vulnerabilities should be enforced, particularly those related to improper access control and memory protection mechanisms. Regular security assessments and privilege reviews are essential to prevent exploitation of this type of vulnerability in operational environments.