CVE-2016-15026 in dd-plist
Summary
by MITRE • 02/20/2023
A vulnerability was found in 3breadt dd-plist 1.17 and classified as problematic. Affected by this issue is some unknown functionality. The manipulation leads to xml external entity reference. An attack has to be approached locally. Upgrading to version 1.18 is able to address this issue. The name of the patch is 8c954e8d9f6f6863729e50105a8abf3f87fff74c. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. VDB-221486 is the identifier assigned to this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/23/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-15026 represents a critical xml external entity reference issue discovered in the 3breadt dd-plist software version 1.17. This vulnerability falls under the broader category of xml external entity processing flaws that have been extensively documented in cybersecurity literature and classified under CWE-611. The affected functionality within the dd-plist component involves processing xml data structures that can be manipulated by local attackers to reference external entities. This particular vulnerability is classified as problematic due to its potential to enable unauthorized data access and system compromise through carefully crafted xml inputs that leverage external entity references.
The technical flaw manifests when the dd-plist utility processes xml files containing external entity declarations that reference external resources. This allows an attacker with local access to manipulate the xml parsing behavior and potentially access local files, execute arbitrary commands, or perform other malicious activities within the context of the application's privileges. The vulnerability requires local system access to exploit, which limits its attack surface compared to remotely exploitable vulnerabilities, but still poses significant risk in environments where local privilege escalation or lateral movement is possible. The specific implementation flaw occurs during xml parsing operations where external entity references are not properly sanitized or restricted.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it can enable attackers to potentially access sensitive system information, manipulate application behavior, or even facilitate privilege escalation within the local environment. When an attacker can manipulate xml data processing through this vulnerability, they may be able to extract confidential information from the system, access restricted files, or interfere with normal application operations. The local exploitation requirement means that attackers must already have access to the target system, but this vulnerability can be particularly dangerous in multi-user environments or when combined with other local privilege escalation techniques.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-15026 focus primarily on upgrading to version 1.18 of the dd-plist component, which incorporates the patch identified by the commit hash 8c954e8d9f6f6863729e50105a8abf3f87fff74c. This upgrade addresses the root cause by implementing proper xml entity validation and restricting external entity references during xml parsing operations. Organizations should also implement additional security controls such as input validation for xml data, limiting local user access where possible, and monitoring for unusual xml processing activities. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper xml processing security measures and aligns with ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and defense evasion through local system manipulation. Regular security assessments and patch management procedures are essential to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in other software components that may be susceptible to xml external entity processing attacks.