CVE-2016-7109 in Unified Maintenance Audit
Summary
by MITRE
Huawei Unified Maintenance Audit (UMA) before V200R001C00SPC200 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via "special characters," a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-7110.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2022
The Huawei Unified Maintenance Audit (UMA) system represents a critical component in enterprise network security infrastructure designed to provide centralized audit and maintenance capabilities for telecommunications equipment. This vulnerability affects UMA versions prior to V200R001C00SPC200, exposing a significant remote code execution flaw that could be exploited by attackers without authentication. The vulnerability specifically manifests through the processing of special characters within input parameters, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject and execute arbitrary commands on the affected system. This weakness fundamentally undermines the security posture of organizations relying on Huawei UMA for their audit and maintenance operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the UMA application layer. When special characters are processed in user-supplied inputs, the system fails to properly sanitize or escape these characters before they are interpreted by underlying system processes. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-77 and CWE-94 classifications, representing improper input validation that leads to command injection flaws. The vulnerability operates at the application level where user-controllable data flows directly into system command execution contexts without adequate security controls. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting malicious payloads containing special characters that bypass normal input validation and trigger unintended system behavior.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation or data compromise, as it enables full remote code execution capabilities on the target system. An attacker with access to the network can potentially gain complete control over the UMA server, allowing them to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the executing service account. This could lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and potential lateral movement within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on centralized audit and maintenance systems for their telecommunications infrastructure, potentially exposing critical network operations to unauthorized access and manipulation. The attack vector requires only network connectivity to the affected UMA system, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited from remote locations without physical access.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must be comprehensive and multi-layered to address both immediate and long-term security concerns. Organizations should prioritize immediate patch deployment to upgrade to Huawei UMA version V200R001C00SPC200 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the input validation issues. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of UMA systems to untrusted networks, while firewall rules should be configured to restrict access to only authorized administrative networks. Additionally, organizations should implement robust monitoring and logging mechanisms to detect suspicious command execution patterns and input validation bypass attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input sanitization and validation practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically addressing techniques related to command injection and privilege escalation. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other network components and ensure comprehensive protection against similar attack vectors.