CVE-2015-6940 in Business Analytics Suite
Summary
by MITRE
The GetResource servlet in Pentaho Business Analytics (BA) Suite 4.5.x, 4.8.x, and 5.0.x through 5.2.x and Pentaho Data Integration (PDI) Suite 4.3.x, 4.4.x, and 5.0.x through 5.2.x does not restrict access to files in the pentaho-solutions/system folder, which allows remote attackers to obtain passwords and other sensitive information via a file name in the resource parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/18/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-6940 represents a critical access control flaw in Pentaho Business Analytics and Data Integration suites, affecting multiple versions from 4.3.x through 5.2.x. This issue stems from the GetResource servlet implementation that fails to properly validate or restrict file access within the pentaho-solutions/system directory structure. The vulnerability specifically manifests when attackers can manipulate the resource parameter to access sensitive files that should remain protected within the system's configuration hierarchy. The pentaho-solutions/system folder typically contains critical system configuration files, database connection details, and authentication credentials that are essential for the platform's operation but must remain inaccessible to unauthorized users.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a straightforward parameter manipulation attack where remote adversaries can construct malicious requests to the GetResource servlet endpoint. By crafting specific resource parameter values that target files within the pentaho-solutions/system directory, attackers can bypass normal access controls and retrieve sensitive information including but not limited to database passwords, API keys, and other credential material. This represents a classic path traversal or directory traversal vulnerability where the application fails to properly sanitize user input before accessing file system resources, allowing arbitrary file access to privileged directories. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that the affected Pentaho products are commonly deployed in enterprise environments where they handle sensitive business data and require robust security controls.
From an operational perspective, the consequences of this vulnerability extend beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks including privilege escalation, lateral movement, and complete system compromise. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can obtain authentication credentials that may allow them to access additional system components, databases, or network resources that rely on the compromised Pentaho platform for authentication. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-22, which describes improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, and is consistent with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and T1566 which covers credential harvesting through various means. Organizations using affected Pentaho versions face significant risk of data breaches, compliance violations, and operational disruption when this vulnerability remains unpatched.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2015-6940 requires immediate implementation of patches provided by Pentaho, as well as the deployment of additional access control measures to prevent unauthorized file system access. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to Pentaho servers, apply proper input validation and sanitization at the application level, and conduct comprehensive security assessments of the pentaho-solutions/system directory structure. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper access control implementation in enterprise software platforms and highlights the need for regular security updates and vulnerability management processes. Additionally, security monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious file access patterns and parameter manipulation attempts that may indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should also review their overall security posture and implement principle of least privilege access controls for all system directories, particularly those containing sensitive configuration files and authentication credentials.