CVE-2005-0497 in elite system max 9000
Summary
by MITRE
adp elite system max 9000 allows remote authenticated users to gain privileges by uploading a .profile that sets the adproot environment variable to the root directory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/22/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-0497 represents a privilege escalation flaw within the adp elite system max 9000 software environment. This system, designed for enterprise-level application deployment and management, contains a critical security weakness that allows authenticated remote attackers to elevate their privileges from standard user level to root access. The vulnerability specifically exploits the system's handling of environment variable configuration during user profile uploads, creating a pathway for unauthorized elevation of privileges through malicious file manipulation.
The technical flaw manifests through the system's insecure processing of .profile files, which are typically used to configure user environments and settings. When an authenticated user uploads a specially crafted .profile file, the system fails to properly validate or sanitize the environment variable assignments. The vulnerability specifically targets the adproot environment variable, which controls the root directory path for the adp elite system. By setting this variable to point to the actual root directory, an attacker can effectively bypass normal access controls and gain full administrative privileges. This represents a classic path traversal and environment variable manipulation attack vector that leverages the system's trust in user-provided configuration data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations utilizing the adp elite system max 9000. Remote authenticated attackers who can upload files to the system can immediately escalate their privileges to root level, potentially gaining access to all system resources, databases, applications, and sensitive data. This privilege escalation allows attackers to modify system configurations, install malicious software, access confidential information, and maintain persistent access to the compromised system. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires only authenticated access, meaning that attackers who have obtained valid user credentials can exploit this weakness without needing additional attack vectors or complex reconnaissance.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-22 Path Traversal and CWE-74 Injection flaws, representing a combination of directory traversal and environment variable injection vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation' tactic. Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies including strict input validation of uploaded files, mandatory environment variable sanitization, and implementation of least privilege access controls. Additionally, the vulnerability highlights the importance of proper file upload validation mechanisms and the need for robust security configurations that prevent arbitrary environment variable modifications. System administrators should also consider implementing monitoring and alerting for suspicious environment variable changes and regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in legacy enterprise systems.