CVE-2017-11162 in Photo Station
Summary
by MITRE
Directory traversal vulnerability in synphotoio in Synology Photo Station before 6.7.4-3433 and 6.3-2968 allows remote authenticated users to read arbitrary files via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/28/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-11162 represents a critical directory traversal flaw within Synology Photo Station's synphotoio component, affecting versions prior to 6.7.4-3433 and 6.3-2968. This directory traversal vulnerability allows authenticated remote attackers to access arbitrary files on the system through unspecified vectors, potentially exposing sensitive data and system resources. The flaw resides in how the Photo Station application processes file paths and handles user input, creating an opportunity for attackers to manipulate file access requests and bypass normal security restrictions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and path sanitization within the synphotoio module of Synology Photo Station. Attackers with valid authentication credentials can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious requests that traverse directory structures and access files outside the intended scope. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-22, which defines directory traversal or path traversal vulnerabilities as weaknesses that occur when an application allows access to files and directories stored outside the intended directory. The flaw essentially allows attackers to manipulate file system access by using techniques such as directory traversal sequences like "../" to navigate to restricted areas of the file system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple file access, as it can enable attackers to read sensitive system files, configuration data, and potentially user credentials stored within the Photo Station environment. Remote authenticated users can leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to files that should remain protected, potentially leading to further exploitation opportunities including privilege escalation, data exfiltration, and system compromise. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning given that it affects the Photo Station application, which often contains user-generated content and may store sensitive metadata about photographs and their owners.
Organizations running affected versions of Synology Photo Station should prioritize immediate remediation through official firmware updates provided by Synology. The vulnerability's classification as a directory traversal issue aligns with ATT&CK technique T1083, which covers directory and file system discovery, and T1005, which addresses data from local system. Additional mitigations include implementing network segmentation to limit access to Photo Station services, enforcing strict access controls, and monitoring for suspicious file access patterns. Security teams should also consider deploying web application firewalls to detect and block directory traversal attempts, while conducting comprehensive audits of all file access operations within the Photo Station environment to identify potential exploitation vectors.