CVE-2017-3936 in ePolicy Orchestrator
Summary
by MITRE
OS Command Injection vulnerability in McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) 5.9.0, 5.3.2, 5.3.1, 5.1.3, 5.1.2, 5.1.1, and 5.1.0 allows attackers to run arbitrary OS commands with limited privileges via not sanitizing the user input data before exporting it into a CSV format output.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/27/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3936 represents a critical operating system command injection flaw within McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator versions 5.9.0, 5.3.2, 5.3.1, 5.1.3, 5.1.2, 5.1.1, and 5.1.0. This security weakness stems from inadequate input sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly validate and escape user-supplied data before processing it within the export functionality. The flaw specifically manifests when the system processes user input intended for CSV export operations, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject and execute arbitrary operating system commands on the affected server. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-77 as a command injection weakness, which directly enables attackers to bypass normal access controls and execute unauthorized commands on the underlying operating system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the CSV export module of the ePolicy Orchestrator system where user-provided data undergoes insufficient validation and sanitization before being incorporated into system commands. When an attacker crafts malicious input containing command injection payloads and submits it through the export interface, the system fails to properly escape or filter special characters that could be interpreted by the operating system shell. This lack of proper input validation creates a scenario where attackers can append operating system commands to legitimate export operations, effectively allowing them to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the ePO service account. The limited privilege aspect of this vulnerability indicates that while attackers cannot escalate to administrative rights directly, they can still perform actions within the scope of the compromised service account's permissions.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-3936 extends beyond simple command execution as it enables attackers to potentially access sensitive system information, modify configuration settings, and manipulate data within the ePolicy Orchestrator environment. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to extract system information, establish persistence mechanisms, or even escalate their access to other systems within the network through lateral movement techniques. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on McAfee ePO for security policy management and threat response, potentially compromising their entire security infrastructure. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter, where adversaries use legitimate system tools to execute malicious commands. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that ePO servers typically operate with elevated privileges and contain sensitive security data that could be accessed through this injection vector.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates released to address this vulnerability, as well as implementing network segmentation to limit access to ePO servers. Additional protective measures include restricting user access to export functionality, implementing input validation controls, and monitoring for suspicious export operations that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and output encoding practices as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency cybersecurity frameworks. Security teams should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify command injection patterns and monitor for unusual export activities that may indicate exploitation of this vulnerability. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to ensure that similar input validation flaws do not exist in other components of the security infrastructure.