CVE-2016-4468 in Cloud Foundry
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in Pivotal Cloud Foundry (PCF) before 238; UAA 2.x before 2.7.4.4, 3.x before 3.3.0.2, and 3.4.x before 3.4.1; UAA BOSH before 11.2 and 12.x before 12.2; Elastic Runtime before 1.6.29 and 1.7.x before 1.7.7; and Ops Manager 1.7.x before 1.7.8 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary SQL commands via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2020
The CVE-2016-4468 vulnerability represents a critical SQL injection flaw affecting Pivotal Cloud Foundry platforms and its associated components including UAA (User Account and Authentication), Elastic Runtime, and Ops Manager. This vulnerability exists in multiple versions of the platform, specifically impacting UAA versions 2.x before 2.7.4.4, 3.x before 3.3.0.2, and 3.4.x before 3.4.1, alongside BOSH versions before 11.2 and 12.x before 12.2. The vulnerability allows remote authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands through unspecified vectors within the platform's authentication and authorization mechanisms.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the UAA component's database interaction layers. When authenticated users submit malicious input through API endpoints or authentication flows, the system fails to properly escape or parameterize SQL query components, creating opportunities for attackers to inject malicious SQL payloads. This weakness manifests in the platform's handling of user credentials, session management, and authentication token processing where database queries are constructed dynamically without proper sanitization measures. The vulnerability is classified as a CWE-89 SQL Injection weakness, which falls under the broader category of injection flaws that represent one of the most prevalent security vulnerabilities in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it provides attackers with elevated privileges and potential access to sensitive user data, session information, and system configurations. An authenticated attacker could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges, access unauthorized user accounts, manipulate database contents, or potentially gain deeper system access. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that the vulnerability affects the core authentication system, meaning that successful exploitation could compromise the entire platform's security posture. Attackers could use this vulnerability to create backdoor accounts, modify user permissions, or extract sensitive information from the platform's database.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-4468 require immediate patching of affected versions, with organizations upgrading to UAA versions 2.7.4.4, 3.3.0.2, and 3.4.1 respectively, along with corresponding versions of Elastic Runtime and Ops Manager. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application, as it represents an authenticated attack vector against platform components. Organizations should implement additional security controls including network segmentation, monitoring for suspicious authentication patterns, and regular security assessments of their Cloud Foundry deployments. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation and the principle of least privilege in authentication systems, as the attack requires only authenticated access to exploit the SQL injection flaw. Regular security updates and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to prevent similar issues in future deployments, particularly focusing on the authentication and authorization components that handle sensitive user data and system access controls.