CVE-2017-5187 in Enterprise Developer
Summary
by MITRE
A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CWE-352) vulnerability in Directory Server (aka Enterprise Server Administration web UI) in Micro Focus Enterprise Developer and Enterprise Server 2.3 and earlier, 2.3 Update 1 before Hotfix 8, and 2.3 Update 2 before Hotfix 9 allows remote unauthenticated attackers to view and alter (CWE-275) configuration information and inject OS commands (CWE-78) via forged requests.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/09/2019
The CVE-2017-5187 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within Micro Focus Enterprise Developer and Enterprise Server web administration interfaces. This vulnerability specifically targets the Directory Server component that manages enterprise server administration through a web UI, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on these platforms. The flaw exists in versions 2.3 and earlier, as well as specific update versions before their respective hotfixes, indicating a widespread issue affecting multiple release streams of the software.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of request origins and missing anti-CSRF tokens within the web administration interface. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious requests that appear to originate from legitimate administrative sessions, bypassing authentication mechanisms entirely. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and leverages the fundamental principle that web applications should verify the authenticity of requests to prevent unauthorized operations. This flaw directly maps to CWE-352 for cross-site request forgery and CWE-275 for privilege escalation through unauthorized configuration changes, while also enabling CWE-78 for OS command injection.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or modification to include full administrative control over affected systems. Remote unauthenticated attackers can access sensitive configuration information, potentially exposing network architecture details, user credentials, and system parameters. More critically, the vulnerability enables OS command injection capabilities that allow attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system, effectively providing them with complete system compromise. This creates a pathway for attackers to establish persistent access, escalate privileges, and conduct further reconnaissance or lateral movement within the network environment. The combination of configuration access and command injection capabilities makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where these servers typically operate with elevated privileges.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided hotfixes for affected versions, implementing proper CSRF token validation mechanisms, and configuring web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious request patterns. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of all affected systems, review administrative access controls, and implement network segmentation to limit potential attack surfaces. The remediation process should follow industry standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks, ensuring that all administrative interfaces receive proper authentication and authorization controls. Additionally, organizations should establish monitoring procedures to detect anomalous administrative activities and implement regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other enterprise applications.