CVE-2016-0905 in Avamar Server
Summary
by MITRE
Avamar Data Store (ADS) and Avamar Virtual Edition (AVE) in EMC Avamar Server before 7.3.0-233 allow local users to obtain root privileges by leveraging admin access and entering a sudo command.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/19/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0905 affects EMC Avamar Server components including Avamar Data Store and Avamar Virtual Edition across versions prior to 7.3.0-233. This represents a critical privilege escalation flaw that demonstrates how local administrative access can be leveraged to achieve full system root privileges. The vulnerability exploits the improper handling of sudo commands within the Avamar server environment, creating a path for malicious actors who already possess administrative credentials to elevate their privileges to the highest system level.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the sudo command execution mechanism within the Avamar server components. When local users with administrative access execute specific sudo commands, the system fails to properly validate or restrict the escalation privileges that can be obtained. This flaw operates under the principle of insufficient privilege separation and inadequate command validation, allowing the execution of elevated commands without proper authorization checks. The vulnerability specifically targets the sudoers configuration or command execution flow that should normally prevent administrative users from gaining root access through improper command invocation.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant security risk for organizations relying on EMC Avamar solutions for data protection and backup operations. The attack vector requires only local administrative access, which can be obtained through various means including credential compromise, insider threats, or other initial compromise techniques. Once exploited, the vulnerability allows attackers to achieve complete system control, potentially enabling data exfiltration, system modification, or establishment of persistent backdoors. The implications extend beyond immediate privilege escalation as attackers can manipulate backup data, modify system configurations, or access sensitive information stored within the Avamar environment.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to EMC Avamar Server version 7.3.0-233 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the sudo privilege escalation mechanism. Security administrators should also review and harden sudoers configurations to ensure that administrative users cannot execute commands that would lead to root privilege escalation. The implementation of principle of least privilege should be enforced, limiting administrative access to only necessary functions and ensuring that no administrative user can execute commands that would escalate to root level access without explicit authorization. Additionally, organizations should monitor system logs for suspicious sudo command executions and implement proper access controls to prevent unauthorized administrative access to systems running vulnerable versions of Avamar Server. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-276, which describes improper privilege management, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers privilege escalation through the exploitation of system vulnerabilities.