CVE-2014-6032 in Enterprise Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerabilities in the Configuration utility in F5 BIG-IP LTM, ASM, GTM, and Link Controller 11.0 through 11.6.0 and 10.0.0 through 10.2.4, AAM 11.4.0 through 11.6.0, ARM 11.3.0 through 11.6.0, Analytics 11.0.0 through 11.6.0, APM and Edge Gateway 11.0.0 through 11.6.0 and 10.1.0 through 10.2.4, PEM 11.3.0 through 11.6.0, PSM 11.0.0 through 11.4.1 and 10.0.0 through 10.2.4, and WOM 11.0.0 through 11.3.0 and 10.0.0 through 10.2.4 and Enterprise Manager 3.0.0 through 3.1.1 and 2.1.0 through 2.3.0 allow remote authenticated users to read arbitrary files and cause a denial of service via a crafted request, as demonstrated using (1) viewList or (2) deal elements.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/23/2022
The CVE-2014-6032 vulnerability represents a critical XML External Entity processing flaw affecting multiple F5 BIG-IP product lines including Local Traffic Manager, Application Security Manager, Global Traffic Manager, and various other components. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-611, specifically addressing insecure direct object references and XML external entity processing issues. The flaw exists within the configuration utility of affected F5 BIG-IP versions, creating a pathway for remote authenticated attackers to exploit XML parsing mechanisms through crafted requests containing malicious entity declarations.
The technical exploitation occurs when the system processes XML configuration data containing external entity references without proper validation or sanitization. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability by crafting specially formatted XML requests that include references to external resources, enabling them to read arbitrary files from the system filesystem or cause denial of service conditions. The vulnerability manifests through specific XML elements named viewList and deal, which when processed by the affected configuration utility trigger the XXE processing chain. This allows attackers to access sensitive system files, configuration data, and potentially escalate privileges within the affected environment.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-6032 extends beyond simple information disclosure to include significant service disruption capabilities. Remote authenticated attackers can exploit this vulnerability to access confidential data stored within the F5 BIG-IP systems, potentially including administrative credentials, network configurations, and sensitive operational information. The denial of service component of this vulnerability can render critical network services unavailable, affecting load balancing, application security, and traffic management functions that organizations depend upon for business continuity. Organizations using affected F5 products face potential regulatory compliance violations and security breaches that could result in substantial financial and reputational damage.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-6032 should include immediate deployment of vendor security patches and updates released by F5. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit the attack surface, ensuring that only authorized personnel can access the configuration utilities. Input validation and XML parser configuration changes are essential, including disabling external entity processing and DTD declarations in all XML processing components. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059 for execution through XML processing and T1068 for privilege escalation opportunities. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual XML processing patterns and unauthorized access attempts to configuration interfaces. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and XML gateways can provide additional protection layers against similar XXE exploitation attempts in the future.