CVE-2014-3702 in eDeploy
Summary
by MITRE
Directory traversal vulnerability in eNovance eDeploy allows remote attackers to create arbitrary directories and files and consequently cause a denial of service (resource consumption) via a .. (dot dot) the session parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/25/2019
The CVE-2014-3702 vulnerability represents a critical directory traversal flaw within the eNovance eDeploy platform, a cloud deployment management system designed for automated infrastructure provisioning. This vulnerability specifically affects the session parameter handling mechanism, allowing remote attackers to manipulate file system paths through the use of directory traversal sequences. The flaw exists in the application's insufficient input validation and sanitization processes, which fail to properly restrict user-supplied data from being directly interpreted as file system operations. When the system processes a session parameter containing .. (dot dot) sequences, it does not adequately validate or sanitize the input before using it in file system operations, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged for unauthorized system manipulation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through carefully crafted session parameter values that contain directory traversal sequences such as ..%2F or similar encoded representations. When the eDeploy system processes these malformed parameters, it interprets the .. sequences as requests to navigate up directory levels, allowing attackers to create arbitrary directories and files outside of intended application boundaries. This behavior stems from the application's failure to implement proper path validation mechanisms and lacks input sanitization that would normally prevent such sequences from being processed as legitimate file system operations. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to traverse beyond the intended application directory structure and potentially access or modify system resources that should remain protected.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-3702 extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass significant resource consumption and potential system instability. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to create numerous files and directories in system locations, leading to disk space exhaustion and resource depletion that can cause legitimate system services to fail or become unavailable. The denial of service aspect becomes particularly severe in cloud environments where resource allocation is critical and automated provisioning systems depend on predictable resource availability. Additionally, the ability to create arbitrary files can potentially lead to privilege escalation scenarios where attackers establish persistent access points or inject malicious content into the system. This vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-22, which classifies directory traversal flaws, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices that should prevent path manipulation attacks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of input validation and sanitization measures that specifically target directory traversal sequences. Organizations should implement comprehensive parameter validation that rejects or encodes potentially dangerous sequences including .., %2e%2e, and other directory traversal representations before they can be processed by the application. The system should enforce strict path validation that ensures all file operations occur within designated safe directories and that absolute paths are not constructed from user-supplied input. Additionally, privilege separation mechanisms should be implemented to ensure that the application operates with minimal required permissions, preventing attackers from creating files in system-critical locations even if they successfully exploit the vulnerability. This remediation approach aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, where the vulnerability could enable attackers to establish persistent access through file creation, and addresses the broader category of privilege escalation and resource consumption attacks. Organizations should also implement proper logging and monitoring to detect anomalous file creation patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.