CVE-2017-4053 in Advanced Threat Defense
Summary
by MITRE
Command Injection vulnerability in the web interface in McAfee Advanced Threat Defense (ATD) 3.10, 3.8, 3.6, 3.4 allows remote unauthenticated users / remote attackers to execute a command of their choice via a crafted HTTP request parameter.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/01/2021
The CVE-2017-4053 vulnerability represents a critical command injection flaw within McAfee Advanced Threat Defense (ATD) web interface versions 3.10, 3.8, 3.6, and 3.4. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-77 category of Command Injection, which occurs when an application incorporates user-supplied data into system commands without proper sanitization or validation. The flaw specifically affects the web-based management interface of McAfee ATD appliances, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on this threat detection platform.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows remote unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the affected system by manipulating HTTP request parameters. This occurs because the web interface fails to properly validate or sanitize input received from HTTP request parameters before using them in system command execution contexts. Attackers can craft malicious HTTP requests that include specially formatted parameters which, when processed by the vulnerable application, get interpreted as command-line arguments and executed with the privileges of the web application process. This typically results in command injection at the operating system level, potentially enabling attackers to execute system commands, access sensitive data, or compromise the entire appliance.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with complete control over the affected McAfee ATD appliance. Since the vulnerability is accessible to unauthenticated users, it eliminates the need for prior access credentials, making exploitation straightforward and potentially affecting organizations with poorly configured network security. The compromised appliance could serve as a foothold for further attacks within the network, potentially allowing lateral movement and access to other systems. Organizations may experience complete loss of threat detection capabilities, as the attacker could disable or modify the appliance's functionality, rendering the security infrastructure ineffective while maintaining persistent access.
Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided patches and updates for McAfee ATD versions 3.10, 3.8, 3.6, and 3.4 to remediate this vulnerability. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit access to the ATD web interface to only authorized personnel. Additionally, organizations should monitor network traffic for suspicious HTTP requests that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, specifically focusing on the execution of system commands through web interfaces. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls and input validation controls to prevent similar injection vulnerabilities in other applications within their environment.