CVE-2014-4046 in Asterisk
Summary
by MITRE
Asterisk Open Source 11.x before 11.10.1 and 12.x before 12.3.1 and Certified Asterisk 11.6 before 11.6-cert3 allows remote authenticated Manager users to execute arbitrary shell commands via a MixMonitor action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/22/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-4046 represents a critical remote code execution flaw in Asterisk Open Source and Certified Asterisk versions prior to the specified patches. This vulnerability specifically affects versions 11.x before 11.10.1 and 12.x before 12.3.1, along with Certified Asterisk 11.6 before 11.6-cert3, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on these telephony platforms. The flaw resides within the MixMonitor action functionality, which is designed to record audio during phone calls, but has been exploited to execute arbitrary shell commands on the underlying system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the MixMonitor action processing. When authenticated Manager users submit a MixMonitor command, the system fails to properly sanitize the input parameters before executing shell commands. This allows attackers who have already established authentication credentials to craft malicious input that gets interpreted and executed as shell commands on the target system. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates within the context of authenticated users, meaning that an attacker who has gained access to valid Manager credentials can leverage this flaw to escalate their privileges and gain full system control.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a severe threat landscape for organizations using Asterisk telephony systems. The remote execution capability means that attackers can potentially compromise entire communication infrastructures from anywhere on the network, provided they have valid Manager user credentials. The implications extend beyond simple command execution to include complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and potential lateral movement within the network. Organizations may face regulatory compliance violations, financial losses, and reputational damage if such attacks occur. The vulnerability also poses risks to VoIP infrastructure, potentially disrupting critical communication services and enabling eavesdropping or call manipulation attacks.
Security professionals should implement multiple layers of mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability effectively. The primary recommendation involves applying the official patches released by the Asterisk development team for versions 11.10.1 and 12.3.1, which contain the necessary input validation fixes. Additionally, organizations should implement strict access controls and principle of least privilege for Manager user accounts, limiting authentication access to only essential personnel. Network segmentation and firewall rules should restrict access to Asterisk Manager interfaces to trusted IP addresses only, while implementing robust monitoring and logging of Manager interface activities. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-78, which describes improper neutralization of special elements used in OS commands, and represents a classic example of command injection that could be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious MixMonitor command patterns and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing remote code execution vulnerabilities in telephony platforms.