CVE-2006-3167 in Free Realty
Summary
by MITRE
Free Realty before 2.9 allows remote attackers to obtain the full path and other sensitive information via unspecified manipulations that produce an error message.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/17/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-3167 affects Free Realty versions prior to 2.9, representing a critical information disclosure flaw that exposes system paths and sensitive data to remote attackers. This issue stems from inadequate error handling mechanisms within the application's codebase, where specific input manipulations trigger error messages that inadvertently reveal critical system information including file paths, directory structures, and potentially other sensitive operational details. The vulnerability falls under the category of improper error handling and information exposure, which aligns with CWE-209 and CWE-497, as it demonstrates how error conditions can be exploited to gather intelligence about the underlying system architecture. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting specific inputs that cause the application to generate error responses, thereby extracting valuable information that could facilitate subsequent exploitation attempts. The security implications extend beyond mere information disclosure, as the leaked path information provides attackers with crucial knowledge about the target system's file structure, potentially enabling more sophisticated attacks such as path traversal or privilege escalation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal effort and can be accomplished through standard web application penetration testing techniques. Remote attackers need only send crafted requests to the vulnerable application that trigger error conditions, which are then rendered in the application's response. These error messages typically contain stack traces, file paths, and other diagnostic information that should never be exposed to end users or external parties. The flaw represents a fundamental security misconfiguration where the application's error handling routine fails to sanitize or suppress sensitive information before displaying it to users. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be particularly dangerous when combined with other weaknesses, as the exposed path information may reveal the exact directory structure and potentially sensitive file locations that could be targeted in more advanced attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2006-3167 extends significantly beyond the immediate information disclosure, as it provides attackers with foundational intelligence for planning more sophisticated attacks against the target system. The leaked path information can be used to map the application's directory structure, identify sensitive files, and potentially discover other vulnerabilities within the system. This weakness directly violates the principle of least privilege and information hiding, as it exposes system internals that should remain confidential. Organizations running vulnerable versions of Free Realty face increased risk of compromise, as the disclosed information can be combined with other reconnaissance data to develop targeted attack strategies. The vulnerability also impacts the application's security posture by reducing the effectiveness of defense-in-depth strategies, as attackers can bypass certain security controls by leveraging the exposed information. From a compliance perspective, this vulnerability may result in violations of security standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks, which emphasize the importance of proper error handling and information protection.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-3167 should focus on implementing robust error handling mechanisms that prevent sensitive information disclosure while maintaining application functionality. The primary solution involves updating to Free Realty version 2.9 or later, which includes patches addressing the information disclosure vulnerability. Organizations should also implement comprehensive error handling routines that sanitize all error messages before presentation, ensuring that stack traces, file paths, and system information are not exposed to end users. Security configurations should be reviewed to disable detailed error messages in production environments, and generic error pages should be implemented to provide users with minimal information while preserving diagnostic capabilities for administrators. The implementation of proper input validation and sanitization techniques can further reduce the risk of exploitation, as can the deployment of web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems that monitor for suspicious error message patterns. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1212 for exploitation of information disclosure vulnerabilities and following security best practices established by industry standards such as ISO 27001 and NIST SP 800-53.