CVE-2017-9248 in Progress Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAX
Summary
by MITRE
Telerik.Web.UI.dll in Progress Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAX before R2 2017 SP1 and Sitefinity before 10.0.6412.0 does not properly protect Telerik.Web.UI.DialogParametersEncryptionKey or the MachineKey, which makes it easier for remote attackers to defeat cryptographic protection mechanisms, leading to a MachineKey leak, arbitrary file uploads or downloads, XSS, or ASP.NET ViewState compromise.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9248 affects Progress Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAX and Sitefinity content management systems, specifically targeting versions prior to R2 2017 SP1 and 10.0.6412.0 respectively. This weakness resides in the Telerik.Web.UI.dll component which handles various web application security mechanisms including encryption key management and machine key protection. The flaw represents a critical failure in cryptographic implementation that undermines fundamental security controls designed to protect web applications from unauthorized access and malicious exploitation. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of sensitive cryptographic parameters that should normally remain protected within the application's secure execution environment.
The technical implementation flaw manifests through inadequate protection of two critical cryptographic elements: the Telerik.Web.UI.DialogParametersEncryptionKey and the MachineKey. These components are essential for maintaining application security as they provide the foundation for encrypting sensitive data, protecting user sessions, and securing communication channels between client and server. When these keys are not properly safeguarded, attackers can potentially extract them through various means including network interception, code analysis, or exploitation of insecure configuration practices. The vulnerability creates a pathway for attackers to compromise the cryptographic protection mechanisms that are fundamental to web application security.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple attack vectors that can be exploited by remote attackers with minimal privileges. Successful exploitation can result in machine key leakage, which fundamentally undermines the security of the entire application stack by allowing attackers to decrypt sensitive information, forge authentication tokens, and manipulate application state. The vulnerability also enables arbitrary file upload and download capabilities, providing attackers with direct access to the file system and potentially allowing them to execute malicious code on the server. Additionally, the weakness creates opportunities for cross-site scripting attacks through manipulated dialog parameters, while also compromising ASP.NET ViewState integrity which can lead to session hijacking and privilege escalation attacks.
Organizations affected by CVE-2017-9248 should implement immediate remediation measures including upgrading to the patched versions of Progress Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAX and Sitefinity as specified in the security advisories. System administrators must also review and strengthen cryptographic key management practices, ensuring that encryption keys are properly protected and rotated according to security best practices. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts, while application security configurations should be audited to verify proper implementation of machine key protection mechanisms. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-327 which addresses broken cryptographic implementations and relates to ATT&CK technique T1210 which covers exploitation of remote services through credential access and privilege escalation. The remediation process should also include comprehensive security testing to validate that the cryptographic protections have been properly restored and that no residual vulnerabilities exist in the application's security architecture.