CVE-2015-4092 in Afaria
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the XComms process in SAP Afaria 7.00.6620.2 SP5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted request, aka SAP Security Note 2153690.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/27/2015
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-4092 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the XComms process of SAP Afaria 7.00.6620.2 SP5, a mobile device management platform widely deployed in enterprise environments. This issue stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms that fail to properly handle excessively long data payloads, creating a condition where attacker-controlled data can overwrite adjacent memory regions. The affected XComms process serves as a communication component responsible for handling various client-server interactions, making it a prime target for exploitation. According to SAP Security Note 2153690, this vulnerability specifically affects the processing of crafted requests that exceed buffer boundaries, potentially leading to unpredictable system behavior.
The technical implementation of this buffer overflow occurs when the XComms process receives malformed input data through network communications without proper bounds checking. The flaw manifests as a classic stack-based buffer overflow where a fixed-size buffer receives more data than it can accommodate, causing adjacent memory locations to be overwritten with attacker-supplied content. This vulnerability falls under CWE-121, stack-based buffer overflow, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1203, Exploitation for Client Execution, when leveraged for code execution. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not require physical access or local privileges to trigger the condition, significantly expanding the attack surface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as it potentially enables remote code execution capabilities that could allow attackers to gain complete control over affected systems. When exploited successfully, the buffer overflow could lead to system crashes that disrupt mobile device management services, or more dangerously, allow malicious actors to inject and execute arbitrary code within the SAP Afaria environment. This compromise could result in unauthorized access to managed mobile devices, data exfiltration, and potential lateral movement within enterprise networks. Organizations relying on SAP Afaria for mobile device management face significant risk of service disruption and potential data breaches, particularly given the platform's role in managing corporate mobile infrastructure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant SAP security patches referenced in SAP Security Note 2153690, which address the underlying buffer overflow conditions through proper input validation and memory management. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be configured to limit access to the affected XComms process ports, reducing the attack surface. Additionally, monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect anomalous traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while regular vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar issues in other SAP components or third-party applications. The remediation process should also include thorough testing of patches in non-production environments to ensure compatibility with existing mobile device management workflows and configurations.