CVE-2016-9570 in Carbon Black
Summary
by MITRE
cb.exe in Carbon Black 5.1.1.60603 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read, invalid pointer dereference, and application crash) by leveraging access to the NetMon named pipe.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/04/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-9570 affects Carbon Black endpoint security software version 5.1.1.60603, specifically targeting the cb.exe process that handles system monitoring operations. This flaw represents a critical security weakness that can be exploited by attackers with access to the NetMon named pipe, which serves as a communication channel within the Carbon Black infrastructure. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the cb.exe component, creating multiple pathways for system compromise through what appears to be a legitimate administrative interface.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through out-of-bounds read operations, invalid pointer dereferences, and application crashes that occur when the cb.exe process handles malformed data transmitted through the NetMon named pipe. These memory corruption issues arise from the process's failure to properly validate input parameters before processing them, allowing attackers to craft malicious payloads that trigger buffer overflows or access unauthorized memory locations. The vulnerability specifically affects the Carbon Black monitoring daemon that operates with elevated privileges, making the potential impact significantly more severe than typical user-level flaws.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables attackers to execute remote denial of service attacks against Carbon Black endpoints, effectively disabling the security monitoring capabilities that organizations rely upon for threat detection and response. The attack vector requires only access to the NetMon named pipe, which may be accessible to local users or through other compromised system components, making the exploitation relatively straightforward. The resulting application crashes and system instability can lead to complete service disruption, potentially allowing attackers to evade detection while compromising the integrity of the security monitoring infrastructure.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-476, which covers null pointer dereference scenarios. From an adversarial perspective, this flaw maps to ATT&CK technique T1489, which involves denying access to resources through service stop or crash operations. Organizations utilizing Carbon Black software face significant risk exposure, as the vulnerability can be leveraged to undermine the very security controls designed to protect against malicious activity. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption, potentially allowing attackers to establish persistence or escalate privileges within compromised systems.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patch deployment to address the underlying memory handling flaws in the cb.exe process, combined with network segmentation to limit access to the NetMon named pipe to authorized administrative users only. System administrators should implement monitoring for unusual cb.exe behavior patterns and establish network-level controls to restrict pipe access. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their Carbon Black configurations to identify potential attack vectors and ensure that the monitoring infrastructure maintains adequate access controls. The vulnerability underscores the importance of secure coding practices and proper input validation in security-critical software components, particularly those operating with elevated system privileges.