CVE-2008-5810 in WebTransactions
Summary
by MITRE
WBPublish (aka WBPublish.exe) in Fujitsu-Siemens WebTransactions 7.0, 7.1, and possibly other versions allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in input that is sent through HTTP and improperly used during temporary session data cleanup, possibly related to (1) directory names, (2) template names, and (3) session IDs.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/23/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-5810 affects Fujitsu-Siemens WebTransactions 7.0 and 7.1 products, specifically targeting the WBPublish component also known as WBPublish.exe. This critical security flaw enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on affected systems through carefully crafted HTTP input that contains shell metacharacters. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of user-supplied input during temporary session data cleanup processes, creating a pathway for malicious command injection attacks that can compromise the entire system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the improper use of user-provided data in shell contexts during session management operations. Attackers can manipulate input parameters that are used for directory names, template names, and session IDs, which are subsequently processed through shell commands without adequate sanitization. This creates a classic command injection vulnerability where malicious shell metacharacters such as semicolons, ampersands, or backticks can be executed within the system's command processing pipeline. The vulnerability specifically manifests during temporary session data cleanup operations, suggesting that the product's session management component fails to properly validate or escape input before using it in shell contexts.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-5810 is severe and encompasses complete system compromise for attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability. Remote code execution capabilities allow adversaries to perform arbitrary actions on the target system including privilege escalation, data exfiltration, system reconnaissance, and installation of persistent backdoors. The vulnerability affects web transaction processing systems that handle session management, making it particularly dangerous for applications that process user requests through web interfaces. The attack vector through HTTP input means that this vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication, potentially affecting web applications that rely on the affected WebTransactions components for session handling and temporary file management.
This vulnerability maps to CWE-78, which specifically addresses OS Command Injection, and aligns with ATT&CK techniques related to command execution and privilege escalation. The improper input handling during session cleanup operations reflects poor security practices in application design and input validation. Organizations using affected versions of Fujitsu-Siemens WebTransactions should immediately implement mitigations including input validation, output encoding, and proper shell command escaping mechanisms. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure coding practices in session management components and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of web transaction processing systems. Remediation efforts should focus on updating to patched versions of the software, implementing web application firewalls, and conducting thorough security assessments of session handling mechanisms within the affected applications.