CVE-2015-8153 in Endpoint Protection Manager
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager (SEPM) 12.1 before RU6-MP4 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary SQL commands via unspecified vectors.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/10/2022
The CVE-2015-8153 vulnerability represents a critical SQL injection flaw within Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager version 12.1 prior to RU6-MP4, exposing organizations to significant remote attack surface risks. This vulnerability specifically affects the management console component of SEPM, which serves as the central hub for endpoint security policy management and threat response coordination across enterprise networks. The flaw enables authenticated attackers who have already gained access to the SEPM management interface to escalate their privileges and execute arbitrary SQL commands against the underlying database system. This represents a severe privilege escalation vulnerability that can potentially compromise the entire security infrastructure managed by the affected system.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the SEPM management console's backend processing mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious SQL payloads through authenticated sessions, leveraging the existing administrative access to manipulate database queries and execute unauthorized commands. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that SEPM serves as a centralized security management platform, meaning successful exploitation could provide attackers with comprehensive access to security policies, endpoint configurations, threat intelligence data, and potentially sensitive organizational information stored within the database. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-89 category of SQL Injection, which is classified as a high-risk vulnerability in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework.
Operationally, the implications of CVE-2015-8153 extend far beyond simple data theft, as it can enable attackers to manipulate security policies, disable protection mechanisms, and potentially gain persistence within the enterprise environment. The vulnerability's remote execution capability means that attackers do not require physical access to the network or direct system compromise to exploit this weakness. Organizations using affected SEPM versions face risks including unauthorized access to security event logs, modification of endpoint protection rules, deletion of critical security data, and potential data exfiltration. The attack vector's authentication requirement does not provide sufficient protection, as the vulnerability can be exploited by attackers who have already compromised legitimate administrative credentials or who can obtain such credentials through social engineering or other means.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability center around immediate patch deployment and enhanced access controls. Organizations should prioritize applying Symantec's official security patches for RU6-MP4, which address the SQL injection flaws in the affected SEPM versions. Additionally, implementing strict access control measures including multi-factor authentication, role-based access controls, and regular credential rotation can reduce the attack surface. Network segmentation and monitoring of management console access attempts should be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning of critical infrastructure components. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and defense evasion, as attackers can manipulate security configurations and potentially hide their activities within the compromised system. Organizations should also consider implementing database activity monitoring solutions to detect anomalous SQL query patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.