CVE-2017-11291 in Connect
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Adobe Connect 9.6.2 and earlier versions. A Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability exists that could be abused to bypass network access controls.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/26/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-11291 represents a critical server-side request forgery flaw in Adobe Connect versions 9.6.2 and earlier. This vulnerability resides within the application's handling of network requests and presents a significant security risk to organizations relying on Adobe Connect for their web conferencing and collaboration needs. The SSRF vulnerability allows an attacker to manipulate the application's ability to make HTTP requests to arbitrary destinations, effectively bypassing network access controls that are typically in place to restrict internal network resources.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied input within the Adobe Connect application's request processing mechanisms. When the application receives requests that contain specific parameters or headers, it fails to properly sanitize or validate the destination URLs or endpoints that these requests are directed toward. This weakness enables an attacker to construct malicious requests that can force the vulnerable application to make unintended connections to internal systems or external malicious servers. The flaw operates at the server level, meaning that the application itself becomes a potential vector for attackers to probe internal networks or exfiltrate data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple network bypass capabilities. Organizations utilizing affected Adobe Connect versions face potential exposure to internal network reconnaissance, data exfiltration, and further exploitation opportunities. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to access internal services that are typically protected by firewalls or network segmentation policies, potentially gaining access to sensitive databases, file servers, or other internal resources. The vulnerability also enables attackers to perform actions such as port scanning of internal networks or to relay credentials to other systems within the network perimeter. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where Adobe Connect is used for business-critical communications and where network segmentation is a primary security control.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of affected Adobe Connect installations to the latest available versions that contain the necessary security fixes. Organizations should also implement network-level controls such as firewall rules that restrict outbound connections from the Adobe Connect server to prevent unauthorized access to internal resources. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and sanitization within the application's request handling processes would provide defense-in-depth measures. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-918, which specifically addresses server-side request forgery in web applications, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage in network communication. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring and intrusion detection systems to identify potential exploitation attempts and maintain comprehensive network access control policies that limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities.