CVE-2010-3358 in HenPlus
Summary
by MITRE
HenPlus JDBC SQL-Shell 0.9.7 places a zero-length directory name in the LD_LIBRARY_PATH, which allows local users to gain privileges via a Trojan horse shared library in the current working directory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/07/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-3358 affects HenPlus JDBC SQL-Shell version 0.9.7, a tool designed for database administration and SQL query execution. This flaw represents a classic privilege escalation vulnerability that exploits how the application handles dynamic library loading through the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable. The vulnerability arises from the application's improper handling of library paths during execution, creating a security risk that can be exploited by local attackers.
The technical flaw occurs when HenPlus processes the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable and includes a zero-length directory name in the path resolution sequence. This zero-length directory is represented as an empty string within the path, which according to POSIX standards and standard library behavior, should be interpreted as the current working directory. When the application attempts to load shared libraries, it searches through the specified paths including this zero-length entry, effectively allowing any shared library placed in the current working directory to be loaded and executed with the privileges of the HenPlus process.
This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-426 Untrusted Search Path, which describes the risk of executing malicious code when a program searches for libraries in untrusted directories. The flaw enables attackers to place a malicious shared library in the current working directory, and when HenPlus executes, it will load and execute this malicious code. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no special privileges to set up, as the attacker only needs to have write access to the current working directory where the application is executed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for systems where HenPlus is used with elevated privileges or in environments where users might have access to the application's execution context. Local privilege escalation can lead to complete system compromise, as the malicious library can execute with the same privileges as the HenPlus process. This could potentially allow attackers to escalate from a regular user account to root privileges, depending on how HenPlus is configured and executed.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on eliminating the zero-length directory in LD_LIBRARY_PATH and implementing proper library path validation. The recommended approach includes setting LD_LIBRARY_PATH to explicit, secure directories without empty entries, using the secure execution environment provided by setuid/setgid applications, and ensuring that the application does not inherit potentially dangerous environment variables. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing file system permissions that prevent unauthorized users from placing files in directories where privileged applications execute. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers Local Privilege Escalation through the exploitation of system configuration vulnerabilities, and T1546, which addresses the creation of malicious shared libraries for privilege escalation purposes. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper environment variable handling and the dangers of trusting unvalidated input from system configuration files or environment settings in security-sensitive applications.