CVE-2018-0944 in SharePoint Enterprise Server
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Project Server 2013 SP1 and Microsoft SharePoint Enterprise Server 2016 allows an elevation of privilege vulnerability to due how specially crafted web requests are sanitized, aka "Microsoft SharePoint Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability". This CVE is unique from CVE-2018-0909, CVE-2018-0910. CVE-2018-0911, CVE-2018-0912, CVE-2018-0913 CVE-2018-0914, CVE-2018-0915, CVE-2018-0916, CVE-2018-0917, CVE-2018-0921, CVE-2018-0923 and CVE-2018-0947.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/05/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-0944 represents a critical elevation of privilege weakness affecting Microsoft Project Server 2013 SP1 and Microsoft SharePoint Enterprise Server 2016 environments. This flaw specifically manifests in the improper sanitization of specially crafted web requests within the affected platforms, creating a pathway for malicious actors to escalate their privileges within the system. The vulnerability operates at the core of web application security controls, where inadequate input validation and sanitization processes fail to properly filter potentially harmful requests that could be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access to elevated system privileges.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within the SharePoint and Project Server frameworks that process incoming web requests. When these systems receive specially crafted requests containing malicious payloads, the sanitization routines fail to adequately identify and neutralize the threat components. This weakness aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation as a fundamental security flaw that allows attackers to manipulate application behavior through malformed inputs. The vulnerability's classification as an elevation of privilege issue indicates that successful exploitation would enable an attacker to perform actions with higher privileges than originally granted, potentially leading to complete system compromise or unauthorized access to sensitive data.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to organizations relying on Microsoft SharePoint and Project Server platforms for business operations. Attackers exploiting this weakness could potentially gain administrative access to these systems, allowing them to modify critical business data, alter project management workflows, or access confidential information stored within the SharePoint environments. The implications extend beyond simple data theft, as the elevated privileges could enable attackers to deploy malicious code, modify system configurations, or establish persistent access points within the network infrastructure. This type of vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where SharePoint servers serve as central repositories for business-critical information and collaborative workspaces.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Microsoft security patches released in response to this vulnerability, which address the specific sanitization flaws in the web request processing mechanisms. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit potential attack vectors, while monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in web request processing that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's relationship to other related CVEs such as CVE-2018-0909 through CVE-2018-0947 demonstrates the broader pattern of security weaknesses affecting Microsoft's SharePoint ecosystem, making comprehensive patch management and security assessments essential. Additionally, implementing robust input validation controls and regularly reviewing application security configurations aligns with ATT&CK framework techniques targeting privilege escalation and command execution within enterprise environments, providing both immediate remediation and long-term security posture improvements.