CVE-2014-8148 in Midgard2
Summary
by MITRE
The default D-Bus access control rule in Midgard2 10.05.7.1 allows local users to send arbitrary method calls or signals to any process on the system bus and possibly execute arbitrary code with root privileges.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/20/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-8148 resides within the Midgard2 10.05.7.1 software implementation, specifically concerning its default D-Bus access control mechanisms. This flaw represents a critical security weakness that fundamentally undermines the integrity of the system's inter-process communication framework. D-Bus serves as a crucial messaging bus system that enables communication between different software components in Linux environments, making it a prime target for privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability stems from overly permissive default access control rules that fail to properly restrict which processes can send method calls or signals to other applications on the system bus.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the misconfiguration of D-Bus security policies that govern how applications communicate with each other across the system bus. When Midgard2 implements its default D-Bus rules, it fails to enforce proper access controls that would normally restrict local users from sending arbitrary method calls or signals to any process running on the system bus. This misconfiguration creates a scenario where unprivileged local users can exploit the system to send malicious method calls or signals to privileged processes, potentially allowing them to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The flaw essentially eliminates the security boundary that should normally exist between different user contexts and system services.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with a pathway to compromise the entire system. Local users who exploit this vulnerability can potentially gain root privileges and execute arbitrary code with the highest level of system access. This capability enables attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including but not limited to installing backdoors, modifying system files, stealing sensitive data, or establishing persistent access to the compromised system. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the system bus level, which means that successful exploitation can affect multiple system components and services that rely on D-Bus for communication.
This vulnerability aligns with several CWE classifications including CWE-269, which addresses improper privilege management, and CWE-276, which covers improper file permissions. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques such as T1068, which involves exploiting legitimate credentials and privileges, and T1059, which encompasses executing malicious code through various system interfaces. The exploitation of this vulnerability also relates to T1543, which covers creating or modifying system level execution mechanisms, and T1078, which deals with valid accounts and legitimate credentials. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to patched versions of Midgard2, implementing stricter D-Bus access controls, and monitoring for suspicious D-Bus activity on system buses. The recommended approach involves configuring D-Bus policy files to enforce proper access controls, ensuring that only authorized processes can send method calls to specific services, and implementing additional monitoring controls to detect potential exploitation attempts.