CVE-2017-11197 in Viewfinity
Summary
by MITRE • 05/03/2023
In CyberArk Viewfinity 5.5.10.95 and 6.x before 6.1.1.220, a low privilege user can escalate to an administrative user via a bug within the "add printer" option.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/30/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2017-11197 affects CyberArk Viewfinity versions 5.5.10.95 and 6.x prior to 6.1.1.220, representing a critical privilege escalation flaw that allows low-privilege users to gain administrative access through the printer management functionality. This issue demonstrates a fundamental flaw in the application's access control mechanisms and privilege management system. The vulnerability specifically resides within the "add printer" option, which serves as an attack vector for unauthorized privilege elevation. CyberArk Viewfinity is a document management and workflow automation platform that typically requires proper authentication and authorization controls to prevent unauthorized access to administrative functions. The flaw indicates a failure in implementing proper input validation and access control checks during the printer addition process.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation and authorization checks within the printer management module. When a user attempts to add a printer through the application interface, the system fails to properly verify whether the requesting user possesses the necessary administrative privileges to perform this operation. This weakness creates an opportunity for privilege escalation where an attacker with minimal privileges can manipulate the system to gain administrative rights. The vulnerability likely involves improper handling of user permissions, potentially allowing unauthenticated or unauthorized requests to be processed with elevated privileges. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-285: Improper Authorization, which describes situations where the system fails to properly enforce access control restrictions. The flaw represents a failure in the principle of least privilege, where users should only have access to functions necessary for their role.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it fundamentally undermines the security model of the CyberArk Viewfinity platform. An attacker who can successfully exploit this vulnerability can gain full administrative control over the system, potentially leading to data breaches, system compromise, and unauthorized access to sensitive information. The ability to escalate privileges through a seemingly benign function like printer management makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it may go undetected for extended periods. Organizations using affected versions of Viewfinity face significant risk of unauthorized access to document management systems, workflow automation processes, and potentially sensitive enterprise data. This vulnerability could enable attackers to modify system configurations, access restricted documents, manipulate workflow processes, and potentially exfiltrate confidential information. The impact extends beyond immediate system compromise to potential lateral movement within the network and further exploitation of other systems.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate patching of affected systems to version 6.1.1.220 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access control measures to limit exposure of the affected application to unauthorized users. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual printer management activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The remediation process should include thorough vulnerability assessments of the application and related systems to identify potential additional attack vectors. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability relates to T1078: Valid Accounts and T1548.001: Abuse Elevation Control Mechanisms, as it involves unauthorized privilege escalation through legitimate system functions. System administrators should also consider implementing additional logging and monitoring for printer management functions, ensuring that all user activities related to administrative tasks are properly audited and tracked. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to verify that similar privilege escalation vulnerabilities do not exist in other application modules or integrated systems.