CVE-2017-11467 in OrientDB
Summary
by MITRE
OrientDB through 2.22 does not enforce privilege requirements during "where" or "fetchplan" or "order by" use, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands via a crafted request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/30/2019
CVE-2017-11467 represents a critical privilege escalation vulnerability in OrientDB versions 2.22 and earlier that fundamentally undermines the database's security model. This vulnerability exists within the query processing engine where the system fails to properly validate user privileges when executing specific query operations including WHERE clauses, FETCHPLAN directives, and ORDER BY statements. The flaw enables authenticated attackers with minimal privileges to bypass access controls and execute arbitrary operating system commands on the underlying host system. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and privilege checking mechanisms within the database's query execution pipeline, allowing maliciously crafted queries to exploit the system's trust model and escalate privileges beyond what should be permitted.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through carefully constructed database queries that leverage the database's internal processing logic to execute operating system commands. Attackers can construct malicious queries using the affected query operations that, when processed by the vulnerable OrientDB instance, trigger command execution with the privileges of the database service account. This represents a classic command injection vulnerability that has been elevated to a privilege escalation issue due to the database's failure to enforce proper access controls during query processing. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of database query processing and operating system command execution, creating a pathway for attackers to move from database-level access to system-level control.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-11467 is severe and potentially devastating for organizations using vulnerable OrientDB instances. Successful exploitation can result in complete system compromise, data exfiltration, lateral movement within networks, and potential establishment of persistent backdoors. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of all data stored within the database, as attackers can execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the database service account, which often runs with elevated system permissions. This vulnerability particularly impacts environments where OrientDB is used as a backend for web applications, enterprise systems, or any service requiring database connectivity, as it can be exploited remotely by authenticated users who should not have such elevated privileges.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation of this vulnerability by upgrading to OrientDB versions 2.2.30 or later, which contain the necessary security patches. System administrators should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of OrientDB instances to untrusted networks. Additional mitigations include disabling unnecessary database features, implementing strict input validation for all database queries, and monitoring database logs for suspicious query patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-264, which addresses privileges, permissions, and access controls, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter execution. Organizations should also consider implementing database activity monitoring solutions and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar privilege escalation vulnerabilities in their database infrastructure.