CVE-2017-11381 in Deep Discovery Director
Summary
by MITRE
A command injection vulnerability exists in Trend Micro Deep Discovery Director 1.1 that allows an attacker to restore accounts that can access the pre-configuration console.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/02/2019
The command injection vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-11381 resides within Trend Micro Deep Discovery Director version 1.1, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of the system's authentication mechanisms. This vulnerability specifically affects the pre-configuration console access controls, creating a pathway for unauthorized users to escalate their privileges and gain administrative access to the system. The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user inputs during account restoration processes, allowing malicious commands to be executed within the context of the application's privileged operations. Such a vulnerability directly impacts the security posture of organizations relying on Trend Micro's threat intelligence platform, as it enables attackers to bypass normal authentication procedures and assume control over critical system functions.
The technical exploitation of this command injection flaw occurs through the manipulation of input parameters during account restoration operations, where attacker-controlled commands can be injected and subsequently executed with elevated privileges. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-77 and CWE-94 categories, specifically addressing command injection weaknesses that allow arbitrary command execution within the application's operational environment. The attack vector typically involves crafting malicious input that gets processed by the application's account restoration functionality, enabling the execution of arbitrary system commands that can restore administrative accounts or modify system configurations. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic lack of input validation and output encoding, where user-supplied data is directly incorporated into system commands without proper sanitization or parameterization.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-11381 extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with access to the pre-configuration console which typically contains sensitive system settings, threat intelligence data, and administrative controls. This access enables adversaries to manipulate system configurations, potentially leading to data exfiltration, system compromise, or disruption of threat detection capabilities. The vulnerability's presence in Trend Micro Deep Discovery Director creates a significant risk for organizations that depend on this platform for network security monitoring and threat analysis, as attackers could potentially disable security features or modify detection rules. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for Valid Accounts and T1059 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, allowing attackers to establish persistent access and execute commands within the target environment.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches released by Trend Micro, which address the command injection vulnerability through proper input validation and sanitization measures. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of the Deep Discovery Director system to untrusted networks, while monitoring systems should be configured to detect anomalous account restoration activities. The implementation of web application firewalls and input validation mechanisms can provide additional layers of protection against similar command injection attacks. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their threat intelligence platforms and ensure that all system components are regularly updated to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities. Regular security audits and privileged access reviews become essential practices to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in security infrastructure that could enable unauthorized system access and privilege escalation.