CVE-2014-2515 in Documentum D2
Summary
by MITRE
EMC Documentum D2 3.1 before P24, 3.1SP1 before P02, 4.0 before P11, 4.1 before P16, and 4.2 before P05 does not properly restrict tickets provided by D2GetAdminTicketMethod and D2RefreshCacheMethod, which allows remote authenticated users to gain privileges via a request for a superuser ticket.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/28/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-2515 affects EMC Documentum D2 versions prior to specific patch levels, creating a critical privilege escalation opportunity within the document management system. This flaw exists in multiple product versions including 3.1, 3.1SP1, 4.0, 4.1, and 4.2, making it a widespread issue across the product lifecycle. The vulnerability specifically targets the authentication and authorization mechanisms implemented in the D2GetAdminTicketMethod and D2RefreshCacheMethod functions, which are responsible for generating and managing administrative access tokens within the system.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate validation and restriction of ticket generation parameters within these administrative methods. When authenticated users make requests to these methods, the system fails to properly verify whether the requesting user should be granted superuser privileges. This improper authorization check allows malicious actors who have valid authentication credentials to exploit the system's trust model and obtain administrative tickets that grant them elevated privileges. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and leverages the existing authentication mechanism to bypass normal access controls, effectively creating a backdoor for privilege escalation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables remote authenticated users to gain superuser access to the Documentum D2 system without requiring additional credentials or exploiting other vulnerabilities. Attackers can leverage this flaw to perform actions such as modifying system configurations, accessing sensitive data, creating or deleting users, and potentially escalating their privileges further within the environment. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation can occur from outside the network perimeter, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that do not properly segment their networks or implement strict access controls. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and undermines the integrity of the system's access control mechanisms.
Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided patches for each affected version to remediate this vulnerability. The patches specifically address the ticket generation restrictions in D2GetAdminTicketMethod and D2RefreshCacheMethod by implementing proper validation checks and ensuring that only authorized administrative users can obtain superuser tickets. Security teams should also implement network segmentation to limit access to Documentum D2 systems and monitor for suspicious authentication patterns. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough access reviews to ensure that only legitimate administrative users have the necessary permissions, and consider implementing additional authentication controls such as multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and could be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1078 (Valid Accounts) as it exploits legitimate authentication mechanisms to gain elevated privileges.