CVE-2016-9091 in Advanced Secure Gateway
Summary
by MITRE
Blue Coat Advanced Secure Gateway (ASG) 6.6 before 6.6.5.4 and Content Analysis System (CAS) 1.3 before 1.3.7.4 are susceptible to an OS command injection vulnerability. An authenticated malicious administrator can execute arbitrary OS commands with elevated system privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/01/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-9091 affects Blue Coat Advanced Secure Gateway (ASG) versions 6.6 before 6.6.5.4 and Content Analysis System (CAS) versions 1.3 before 1.3.7.4, representing critical security flaws that expose organizations to significant operational risks. This issue stems from improper input validation within the web administration interfaces of these security appliances, creating a pathway for authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands with elevated privileges. The vulnerability specifically impacts the command execution functionality within the administrative console, where user-supplied input is not adequately sanitized before being processed by underlying system commands.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-77, known as "Command Injection," which occurs when application code incorporates user-controllable data into system commands without proper validation or sanitization. Attackers exploiting this flaw can leverage the authenticated administrative access to inject malicious commands that are then executed by the underlying operating system with the privileges of the administrative account. This creates a severe privilege escalation scenario where an attacker with administrative credentials can gain complete control over the appliance's operating system and potentially compromise the entire network infrastructure protected by these devices. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that the affected appliances typically serve as critical security gateways, handling network traffic inspection, content filtering, and security policy enforcement.
From an operational perspective, the exploitation of CVE-2016-9091 can result in complete system compromise, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code, modify system configurations, access sensitive data, and potentially use the compromised appliance as a pivot point for further attacks within the network. The affected Blue Coat appliances are commonly deployed in enterprise environments where they serve as primary security controls, making the potential impact of this vulnerability particularly severe. Organizations may face unauthorized access to network traffic, data exfiltration, and disruption of security services. The vulnerability's presence in both ASG and CAS appliances indicates a systemic issue within the software architecture that affects the core functionality of these security products, potentially undermining the security posture of organizations relying on these devices for network protection.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate patching of affected systems to version 6.6.5.4 or later for ASG and 1.3.7.4 or later for CAS, as provided by Blue Coat. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces, enforce strict access controls, and monitor for unusual administrative activities. The remediation process should include comprehensive vulnerability scanning to identify all affected devices within the network infrastructure and proper testing of patches in controlled environments before deployment. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network monitoring solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures specifically tailored to address compromised security appliances. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security software and the potential consequences of delayed patch management in enterprise security infrastructure.