CVE-2015-2875 in Storage
Summary
by MITRE
Absolute path traversal vulnerability on Seagate GoFlex Satellite, Seagate Wireless Mobile Storage, Seagate Wireless Plus Mobile Storage, and LaCie FUEL devices with firmware before 3.4.1.105 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a full pathname in a download request during a Wi-Fi session.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/06/2024
The CVE-2015-2875 vulnerability represents a critical absolute path traversal flaw affecting Seagate and LaCie wireless storage devices including the GoFlex Satellite, Seagate Wireless Mobile Storage, Seagate Wireless Plus Mobile Storage, and LaCie FUEL models. This vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the devices' web-based file download functionality, which fails to adequately sanitize user-supplied file paths. The flaw exists specifically in firmware versions prior to 3.4.1.105, making all affected devices susceptible to exploitation during active Wi-Fi sessions when users attempt to download files through the device's web interface. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-22 as an improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, commonly referred to as path traversal or directory traversal attacks.
Attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely by crafting malicious download requests that contain absolute pathnames instead of relative paths. When the device processes these requests, it fails to validate or sanitize the input, allowing the attacker to traverse the file system hierarchy and access arbitrary files stored on the device. This includes sensitive system files, configuration data, and potentially user data that should remain protected within the device's restricted file system. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no authentication or physical access to the device, as the vulnerability operates over the wireless network interface during normal file download operations. The flaw essentially allows an attacker to bypass normal file access controls and retrieve files that the device's operating system would normally prevent unauthorized access to.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it can enable more sophisticated attacks within the network environment. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can potentially access system configuration files that may contain credentials, network settings, or other sensitive information that could be used for further exploitation. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for attackers to gather intelligence about the device's internal structure, firmware version, and potentially identify other vulnerabilities within the system. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques such as T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) and T1566 (Phishing via Social Engineering) as attackers can use the information gathered to plan more targeted attacks. The affected devices typically operate in consumer and small office environments where network monitoring may be limited, making detection of such attacks more difficult.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-2875 focus primarily on firmware updates, as this represents a vendor-specific software flaw that requires official patches to resolve. Users should immediately update their affected devices to firmware version 3.4.1.105 or later, which contains the necessary input validation fixes. Network administrators should also implement additional security measures including network segmentation to isolate these devices from critical systems, disabling unnecessary wireless services when not in use, and monitoring for suspicious network traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure coding practices in embedded systems, particularly the necessity of implementing proper input validation and sanitization for all user-supplied data. Organizations should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify anomalous file access patterns or attempts to traverse directory structures, as these behaviors are typically indicative of exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments of networked storage devices and other embedded systems are essential to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by malicious actors.