CVE-2009-5116 in LinuxShield
Summary
by MITRE
McAfee LinuxShield 1.5.1 and earlier does not properly implement client authentication, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain Admin access to the statistics server by leveraging a client account.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/12/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-5116 affects McAfee LinuxShield versions 1.5.1 and earlier, presenting a critical security flaw in the client authentication implementation. This issue resides within the statistics server component of the security solution, where proper authentication mechanisms fail to validate client credentials adequately. The flaw enables authenticated remote attackers who possess legitimate client accounts to escalate their privileges and gain administrative access to the statistics server, fundamentally undermining the security model of the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate authentication controls within the McAfee LinuxShield framework. The statistics server component appears to rely on insufficient validation of client credentials, allowing malicious actors with standard client privileges to exploit the system's trust model. This weakness manifests when legitimate client accounts are leveraged to access administrative functions that should be restricted to authorized administrators only. The flaw represents a classic privilege escalation vulnerability where the system fails to properly enforce access controls between different user roles.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on McAfee LinuxShield for security management. An authenticated attacker could potentially access sensitive statistical data, modify system configurations, or disrupt the security monitoring capabilities of the solution. The impact extends beyond simple data access, as administrative privileges on the statistics server could enable attackers to manipulate security logs, disable monitoring features, or gain deeper insights into system vulnerabilities. This represents a serious compromise of the security infrastructure, as the attacker can effectively bypass the intended security boundaries of the system.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and demonstrates how weak authentication mechanisms can lead to unauthorized privilege escalation. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques where an attacker leverages existing legitimate credentials to gain higher-level access rights. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation to isolate critical statistics servers and establish robust monitoring for unusual administrative access patterns. The recommended mitigation involves upgrading to McAfee LinuxShield versions that properly implement authentication controls and enforce strict access controls between client and administrative functions. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular security assessments to identify similar authentication weaknesses in other security solutions and implement principle of least privilege configurations across all system components.