CVE-2017-8858 in NetBackup
Summary
by MITRE
In Veritas NetBackup 8.0 and earlier and NetBackup Appliance 3.0 and earlier, there is unauthenticated privileged remote file write using the 'bprd' process.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/24/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8858 represents a critical security flaw in Veritas NetBackup and NetBackup Appliance products affecting versions 8.0 and earlier, as well as appliance versions 3.0 and earlier. This issue stems from improper access controls within the bprd process, which is responsible for managing backup and restore operations within the NetBackup ecosystem. The vulnerability allows an attacker to perform remote file operations without requiring authentication, effectively bypassing the security model that should protect these critical system functions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the bprd service which handles communication between backup clients and the master server. When an attacker sends specially crafted requests to the bprd process, they can manipulate the system to write arbitrary files to the target system with elevated privileges. This occurs due to insufficient input validation and authentication checks within the service's network interface. The flaw specifically affects the way the service processes file write requests, allowing attackers to specify arbitrary file paths and content, effectively enabling remote code execution or data manipulation capabilities. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-284 which deals with improper access control, making it a direct violation of fundamental security principles.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple unauthorized file access, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity and confidentiality of backup operations. An attacker could potentially overwrite critical system files, inject malicious code into backup processes, or manipulate backup data to facilitate further attacks. The unauthenticated nature of this vulnerability means that any network-accessible system running affected NetBackup versions becomes immediately vulnerable to exploitation without requiring any prior credentials or access. This creates a significant risk for organizations relying on NetBackup for data protection, as the attacker could compromise not only the backup infrastructure but also potentially gain access to sensitive backup data that may contain production system information, user credentials, or other confidential material.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to restrict access to NetBackup services, applying available patches from Veritas, and implementing strict firewall rules to limit access to the bprd service ports. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) and T1078 (Valid Accounts) as attackers could leverage this to establish persistent access or execute commands on target systems. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network monitoring to detect unusual file write patterns and establish baseline behaviors for the bprd process to identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure configuration management and proper access control implementation in enterprise backup solutions, emphasizing that backup infrastructure should not be treated as a secondary security concern but rather as a critical component requiring robust protection measures.