CVE-2017-12927 in Cacti
Summary
by MITRE
A cross-site scripting vulnerability exists in Cacti 1.1.17 in the method parameter in spikekill.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/16/2022
The cross-site scripting vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-12927 represents a critical security flaw in the widely-used network monitoring tool Cacti version 1.1.17. This vulnerability specifically affects the spikekill.php script, which is designed to handle various monitoring functions within the Cacti platform. The issue arises from insufficient input validation and output sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly handle malicious user-supplied data, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by attackers to execute arbitrary scripts within the context of a victim's browser session.
The technical flaw manifests in the method parameter of the spikekill.php endpoint where user input is directly incorporated into the application's response without adequate sanitization or encoding. This allows an attacker to inject malicious JavaScript code through the method parameter, which then gets executed when the page is rendered in a victim's browser. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws, and represents a classic case of improper neutralization of input during web page generation. The attack vector requires an authenticated user context, as the vulnerability exists within the administrative interface components of Cacti, making it particularly concerning for organizations where administrative privileges are compromised.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including session hijacking, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the monitored environment. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could potentially access sensitive network monitoring data, manipulate monitoring configurations, or even use the compromised Cacti instance as a pivot point to attack other systems within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability directly maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1059.007 for scripting and T1566.001 for credential harvesting, as the malicious code execution can be used to capture user credentials or extract valuable monitoring information from the compromised system.
Organizations utilizing Cacti version 1.1.17 should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to a patched version of the software, as the vulnerability has been addressed in subsequent releases. Network administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as input validation at the application level, output encoding for all dynamic content, and regular security assessments of monitoring tools. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation in web applications and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of administrative interfaces that handle user-supplied data. Implementing web application firewalls and restricting access to administrative functions through network segmentation can provide additional protective layers while the software upgrade is being implemented.