CVE-2016-6152 in eHealth
Summary
by MITRE
CA eHealth 6.2.x and 6.3.x before 6.3.2.13 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service or possibly execute arbitrary commands via unspecified vectors.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-6152 affects CA eHealth versions 6.2.x and 6.3.x prior to 6.3.2.13, representing a critical security flaw that permits remote authenticated attackers to compromise system integrity. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and improper handling of user-supplied data within the eHealth application framework. The vulnerability allows attackers who have already established authentication credentials to potentially escalate their privileges and execute malicious code on the target system. The affected versions demonstrate a lack of proper sanitization mechanisms that should prevent dangerous inputs from being processed by the application's core components. This flaw exists at the intersection of multiple security domains including authentication bypass, privilege escalation, and remote code execution capabilities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves unspecified attack vectors that likely exploit weaknesses in parameter handling or command injection mechanisms within the eHealth platform. Attackers can leverage their authenticated access to manipulate application behavior through crafted inputs that are not properly validated or sanitized before processing. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple denial of service as it potentially enables full system compromise through arbitrary code execution. This represents a significant escalation from typical denial of service scenarios and indicates a fundamental flaw in the application's security architecture. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-77 and CWE-89 categories, which address command injection and improper input validation respectively, both of which are core components of the attack surface.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations utilizing CA eHealth systems as it allows attackers with legitimate credentials to gain unauthorized access to system resources. The potential for remote code execution means that compromised systems could serve as launch points for broader network attacks or provide attackers with persistent access to sensitive data. Organizations may face regulatory compliance issues if this vulnerability results in unauthorized data access or system breaches, particularly in environments handling healthcare information or other sensitive data types. The vulnerability's existence suggests inadequate security testing and code review processes during the development lifecycle, potentially exposing other components of the eHealth platform to similar threats.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-6152 require immediate implementation of the vendor-provided security patches and updates to bring affected systems to version 6.3.2.13 or later. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit the impact of potential exploitation, ensuring that even if one system is compromised, attackers cannot easily move laterally through the network. Additional defensive measures include implementing comprehensive monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous behavior patterns consistent with exploitation attempts, along with regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications. Security teams should also consider implementing principle of least privilege controls to minimize the potential damage from authenticated attacks, while maintaining detailed audit logs to track user activities and identify suspicious behavior patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of continuous security updates and proper input validation mechanisms in preventing successful exploitation attempts.