CVE-2009-5115 in Common Management Agent
Summary
by MITRE
McAfee Common Management Agent (CMA) 3.5.5 through 3.5.5.588 and 3.6.0 through 3.6.0.608, and McAfee Agent 4.0 before Patch 3, allows remote authenticated users to overwrite arbitrary files by accessing a report-writing ActiveX control COM object.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/12/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-5115 affects McAfee Common Management Agent and McAfee Agent software versions within specific ranges, presenting a critical security risk that enables remote authenticated attackers to perform arbitrary file overwrite operations. This flaw resides within the report-writing ActiveX control COM object implementation, which exposes a dangerous privilege escalation vector through improper input validation mechanisms. The vulnerability specifically impacts versions 3.5.5 through 3.5.5.588 and 3.6.0 through 3.6.0.608 of the Common Management Agent, alongside McAfee Agent 4.0 before Patch 3, creating a widespread exposure across multiple product iterations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied input within the ActiveX control's COM object interface. When authenticated users access the report-writing functionality, the system fails to properly sanitize or validate file paths and names, allowing attackers to manipulate the target file locations. This weakness directly maps to CWE-22, which describes improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, commonly known as path traversal attacks. The flaw enables attackers to specify arbitrary file paths that can overwrite existing files on the target system, potentially including critical system files, configuration data, or other sensitive resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple file overwrites, as it provides attackers with the capability to compromise system integrity and potentially execute malicious code. Remote authenticated users can leverage this vulnerability to replace legitimate system binaries with malicious counterparts, thereby achieving persistent access or privilege escalation. The attack vector requires only authentication to the McAfee management system, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by insiders or compromised legitimate users. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059, which covers command and scripting interpreter, and T1074, data staging, as attackers can use this capability to establish persistent access or move laterally within the network.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement comprehensive mitigation strategies including immediate patch deployment for all affected McAfee products, network segmentation to limit access to management interfaces, and enhanced monitoring of file system changes. The recommended approach involves applying the vendor patches released specifically for this vulnerability while implementing additional controls such as ActiveX restriction policies and privileged access management. Security teams should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures for handling potential file overwrite scenarios. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that patch deployment does not introduce regressions in legitimate system functionality while maintaining the security posture against this specific threat vector.