CVE-2016-7110 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-2016-7109.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2022
The Huawei Unified Maintenance Audit system represents a critical component in enterprise network infrastructure management, serving as a centralized platform for audit and maintenance operations across Huawei networking equipment. This system typically handles administrative functions including user authentication, access control, and system configuration management. The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-7110 specifically targets the input validation mechanisms within the UMA platform, creating a pathway for remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on affected systems. This flaw operates through the exploitation of special character handling within the system's command processing pipeline, distinguishing it from the closely related CVE-2016-7109 vulnerability which may involve different attack vectors or system components.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of user inputs, particularly when processing commands or parameters that contain special characters. When the UMA system receives input containing maliciously crafted special characters, the system fails to properly validate or escape these inputs before processing them as commands. This represents a classic command injection vulnerability where attacker-controlled input is interpreted as executable code rather than data. The flaw likely exists in the system's command parsing or execution engine, where special characters such as semicolons, pipes, or backticks may be interpreted by underlying operating system shells or command processors, leading to unintended command execution. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous for network infrastructure systems.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-7110 extends beyond simple command execution, potentially enabling attackers to gain full administrative control over affected Huawei UMA systems. Successful exploitation could allow adversaries to modify system configurations, access sensitive audit logs, escalate privileges, or even compromise the underlying network infrastructure managed by the UMA platform. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors can exploit this vulnerability from outside the network perimeter, potentially leading to widespread compromise of enterprise network management systems. Organizations relying on Huawei UMA for network maintenance and auditing would face significant operational risks, including potential data breaches, unauthorized network modifications, and disruption of critical network services. The vulnerability essentially provides a backdoor into the administrative functions of network infrastructure, undermining the security posture of entire enterprise networks that depend on these systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-7110 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Huawei UMA systems to the latest available security updates. Organizations must implement comprehensive input validation mechanisms that sanitize all user inputs before processing, particularly focusing on special character handling within command execution contexts. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit exposure of UMA systems to untrusted networks. The implementation of web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Security monitoring should include logging of command execution patterns and unusual administrative activities. Organizations should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their network infrastructure to identify other potential entry points and ensure proper network hygiene practices are maintained. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-77 and CWE-89 categories related to command injection vulnerabilities, and represents a technique that could be categorized under ATT&CK tactic TA0002 (Execution) and technique T1059.001 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, highlighting the importance of proper input validation and command execution security controls.