CVE-2007-1490 in Communication Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified maintenance web pages in Avaya S87XX, S8500, and S8300 before CM 3.1.3, and Avaya SES allow remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in unspecified vectors (aka "shell command injection").
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/13/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-1490 represents a critical command injection flaw affecting Avaya communication systems including the S87XX, S8500, and S8300 platforms along with Avaya SES software. This vulnerability exists within the maintenance web interfaces of these systems and allows remote authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the web administration interfaces, creating an avenue for malicious command execution that could compromise the entire system infrastructure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves shell metacharacters being passed through unspecified vectors within the maintenance web pages, which then get processed without proper sanitization. When authenticated users access these maintenance interfaces and submit malicious input containing shell metacharacters such as semicolons, ampersands, or backticks, the system fails to properly escape or filter these characters before executing system commands. This type of vulnerability directly maps to CWE-77 which categorizes improper neutralization of special elements used in a command, and specifically aligns with CWE-94 which addresses the execution of arbitrary code. The vulnerability enables attackers to escalate privileges and potentially gain full system control through command injection attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass complete system compromise and potential data breaches. Remote authenticated attackers could execute system commands with the privileges of the web server process, potentially allowing them to install backdoors, modify system configurations, access sensitive data, or even escalate to root privileges depending on the system architecture. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise communication systems where these Avaya platforms are deployed, creating risks for organizations handling sensitive communications and business-critical data. The impact is compounded by the fact that the vulnerability requires only authenticated access, meaning that attackers who can obtain legitimate user credentials or exploit other authentication bypasses can immediately leverage this flaw.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates for CM 3.1.3 and later versions, implementing network segmentation to limit access to maintenance interfaces, and conducting thorough security audits of authentication mechanisms. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059.001 for command and script injection, and T1078 for valid accounts, highlighting the need for comprehensive monitoring of authentication and command execution activities. Additional defensive measures should include implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious command injection patterns, restricting administrative access to maintenance interfaces, and establishing robust monitoring protocols for unusual command execution patterns. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of secure coding practices and input validation in web applications, particularly those handling administrative functions and system-level operations.