CVE-2018-10505 in OfficeScan
Summary
by MITRE
A pool corruption privilege escalation vulnerability in Trend Micro OfficeScan 11.0 SP1 and XG could allow a local attacker to escalate privileges on vulnerable installations due to a flaw within the processing of IOCTL 0x220008 in the TMWFP driver. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/17/2020
This vulnerability represents a critical privilege escalation flaw in Trend Micro OfficeScan versions 11.0 SP1 and XG that stems from improper handling of IOCTL 0x220008 within the TMWFP driver component. The issue manifests as pool corruption, a memory management vulnerability that occurs when the driver fails to properly validate input parameters during the processing of this specific IOCTL command. Pool corruption vulnerabilities typically arise when kernel-mode drivers write beyond allocated memory boundaries or manipulate memory structures in ways that compromise the integrity of the system's memory pool, creating opportunities for attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.
The technical exploitation requires a local attacker who has already gained low-privileged execution capabilities on the target system. This prerequisite aligns with common attack patterns where initial access is achieved through social engineering, phishing, or other means that allow code execution in a user context. Once the attacker has established a foothold, they can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges from user level to system level, effectively gaining complete control over the compromised system. The flaw specifically affects the TMWFP driver which is responsible for network filtering and protection functions within the OfficeScan suite, making it a critical component in the attack chain.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it provides attackers with complete system compromise capabilities. This includes the ability to install malware, modify system files, access sensitive data, and potentially establish persistence mechanisms within the compromised environment. The vulnerability's presence in OfficeScan installations means that organizations using this security solution are particularly at risk, as the attack vector does not require network-based exploitation but rather relies on local code execution followed by privilege escalation. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where OfficeScan is widely deployed for endpoint protection.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of affected OfficeScan versions to address the underlying driver flaw. Organizations must also implement strict access controls and privilege separation to limit the potential impact of local code execution. Network segmentation and monitoring for suspicious IOCTL activity could help detect exploitation attempts. The vulnerability maps to CWE-122 Heap-based Buffer Overflow and CWE-787 Out-of-bounds Write, both of which are classified under the broader category of memory safety issues in kernel-mode drivers. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability aligns with T1068 Privilege Escalation and T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter, as it enables attackers to execute commands with elevated privileges and potentially establish persistent access through system-level modifications.