CVE-2009-1604 in LimeSurvey
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in LimeSurvey before 1.82 allows remote attackers to execute commands and obtain sensitive data via unknown attack vectors related to /admin/remotecontrol/.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/03/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-1604 affects LimeSurvey versions prior to 1.82 and represents a critical security flaw within the remote control functionality of this web-based survey application. This issue resides within the /admin/remotecontrol/ directory path, suggesting that the vulnerability is accessible through administrative interfaces designed for remote system management. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability indicates that the exact technical mechanism enabling exploitation was not clearly documented in the initial description, making it particularly dangerous for security teams to assess and remediate without deeper investigation.
The technical flaw manifests through unknown attack vectors that permit remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the affected system and gain access to sensitive data. This type of vulnerability typically indicates a lack of proper input validation and authentication controls within the remote control interface. The remote code execution capability means that attackers could potentially take full control of the LimeSurvey server, execute malicious code, and access confidential information stored within the application's database or file system. The vulnerability likely stems from insufficient sanitization of user inputs passed to the remote control functions, allowing attackers to inject malicious commands that are then executed by the server.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for organizations using LimeSurvey for sensitive data collection, as it provides attackers with a direct path to compromise the entire survey infrastructure. The ability to execute commands remotely means that attackers could modify survey configurations, steal survey responses containing personal or confidential information, install backdoors for persistent access, or even use the compromised system as a launch point for attacks on other networked systems. Organizations relying on LimeSurvey for healthcare surveys, financial data collection, or any sensitive information gathering would face significant regulatory and compliance risks if this vulnerability were exploited, potentially leading to data breaches and legal consequences.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to LimeSurvey version 1.82 or later to address this vulnerability, as no patches or workarounds were available for earlier versions. Security teams should implement network segmentation to limit access to the remote control functionality and monitor network traffic for suspicious activity related to the /admin/remotecontrol/ endpoint. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation and CWE-94 Improper Control of Generation of Code, indicating weaknesses in input validation and code execution controls. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1078 Valid Accounts, as it enables remote code execution and potentially provides attackers with persistent access to the system. Regular security assessments should include testing for similar vulnerabilities in other web applications, particularly those with administrative remote access capabilities, to prevent similar exploitation scenarios.