CVE-2010-1645 in Cacti
Summary
by MITRE
Cacti before 0.8.7f, as used in Red Hat High Performance Computing (HPC) Solution and other products, allows remote authenticated administrators to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in (1) the FQDN field of a Device or (2) the Vertical Label field of a Graph Template.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/23/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-1645 represents a critical command injection flaw within the Cacti network monitoring system, specifically affecting versions prior to 0.8.7f. This issue manifests when authenticated administrators with sufficient privileges attempt to manipulate certain fields within the system's configuration interfaces. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly escape or validate user-supplied data before processing, creating an avenue for malicious command execution.
The technical exploitation occurs through two primary vectors within the Cacti application's data handling processes. The first vector involves the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) field of a Device configuration, while the second vector targets the Vertical Label field within Graph Templates. Both of these fields are susceptible to shell metacharacter injection, allowing an authenticated attacker to append malicious commands that get executed within the context of the web application's privileges. This represents a classic command injection vulnerability that aligns with CWE-77 and follows patterns consistent with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and script injection.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it enables remote code execution with the privileges of the web server process. This can result in complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and potential lateral movement within network environments where Cacti is deployed. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in high performance computing environments like those referenced in the Red Hat HPC Solution, where network monitoring systems often maintain elevated privileges and access to critical infrastructure components. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain persistent access to monitoring infrastructure, potentially disrupting network operations or establishing backdoors for future exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-1645 should focus on immediate patching of affected Cacti installations to version 0.8.7f or later, which includes proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to Cacti management interfaces and enforce strict access controls for administrator accounts. Additional defensive measures include regular security audits of input validation routines, implementing web application firewalls to detect suspicious command injection patterns, and conducting periodic vulnerability assessments of monitoring infrastructure. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation in web applications and aligns with security best practices outlined in OWASP Top 10 and NIST cybersecurity frameworks, emphasizing the need for robust sanitization of user inputs to prevent arbitrary command execution in network monitoring systems.