CVE-2016-8801 in OceanStor 5600
Summary
by MITRE
Huawei OceanStor 5600 V3 with V300R003C00C10 and earlier versions allows attackers with administrator privilege to inject a command into a specific command's parameters, and run this injected command with root privilege.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/24/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-8801 affects Huawei OceanStor 5600 V3 storage systems running firmware versions up to and including V300R003C00C10. This represents a critical command injection flaw that demonstrates a fundamental failure in input validation and parameter handling within the system's administrative interface. The vulnerability specifically targets the command execution mechanism where legitimate administrative commands are processed through parameterized inputs that do not properly sanitize user-supplied data.
This security flaw constitutes a severe privilege escalation vulnerability that operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration classification of CWE-77 and CWE-94, representing command injection and code injection weaknesses respectively. The vulnerability allows an attacker who has already gained administrator privileges to exploit a design flaw in how the system processes command parameters. The attack vector involves crafting malicious input that gets embedded into command parameters, which are then executed with root privileges, effectively bypassing normal access controls and security boundaries.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with elevated system access that could lead to complete system compromise. Once an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can execute arbitrary commands with the highest system privileges, potentially enabling data exfiltration, system modification, or further lateral movement within the network. The attack requires only administrative credentials to be effective, making it particularly dangerous as it leverages existing legitimate access to escalate privileges further.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a prime example of insufficient input sanitization and parameter validation that aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter. The vulnerability exists in the system's administrative interface where user inputs are not properly validated or escaped before being incorporated into system commands. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including firmware updates to versions that address this vulnerability, network segmentation to limit administrative access, and comprehensive monitoring of administrative command execution logs. Additionally, implementing strict input validation controls and employing principle of least privilege access models can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation.
The vulnerability highlights the importance of robust input validation in enterprise storage systems and demonstrates how seemingly minor flaws in parameter handling can result in complete system compromise. System administrators should conduct thorough security assessments of their Huawei storage infrastructure and ensure all systems are updated to the latest firmware releases that contain patches for this vulnerability. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should include examination of administrative interfaces for similar command injection flaws that could provide similar privilege escalation opportunities.