CVE-2018-11638 in PowerMedia XMS
Summary
by MITRE
Unrestricted Upload of a File with a Dangerous Type in the administrative console in Dialogic PowerMedia XMS through 3.5 allows remote authenticated users to upload malicious code to the web root to gain code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/24/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-11638 represents a critical security flaw in Dialogic PowerMedia XMS version 3.5 and earlier, where the administrative console fails to properly validate file uploads, allowing authenticated attackers to bypass security restrictions. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the web application's file upload functionality, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary code on the target system. The vulnerability specifically affects the administrative console component of the PowerMedia XMS platform, which is designed to manage multimedia communications services and requires authentication to access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the application's failure to enforce strict file type validation during the upload process, particularly in the administrative console interface. Attackers can exploit this by uploading malicious files with extensions that are typically restricted or filtered by the system. The flaw allows for unrestricted file uploads of dangerous file types, enabling attackers to place executable code directly into the web root directory. This type of vulnerability is classified under CWE-434, which specifically addresses "Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type," and represents a classic path to remote code execution through web application file upload vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations using Dialogic PowerMedia XMS. Once successfully exploited, attackers can achieve complete system compromise, allowing them to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the web application user. This level of access enables malicious actors to establish persistent backdoors, escalate privileges, exfiltrate sensitive data, or use the compromised system as a launch point for further attacks within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability affects the entire administrative console functionality, potentially exposing critical multimedia communication services to unauthorized access and manipulation, which could disrupt business operations and compromise sensitive communication data.
Security mitigations for CVE-2018-11638 should focus on implementing robust file validation mechanisms, including strict file type checking, content-based validation, and proper file extension filtering. Organizations must ensure that all file uploads are validated against a whitelist of acceptable file types and that uploaded files are stored outside the web root directory to prevent direct execution. The implementation of proper access controls and authentication mechanisms should be reinforced, along with regular security updates and patches from Dialogic. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect suspicious file upload activities and potential exploitation attempts, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1190 for exploiting vulnerabilities in administrative interfaces and T1059 for command and scripting interpreters. Organizations should also implement comprehensive logging and monitoring of administrative console activities to detect unauthorized access attempts and file upload operations that could indicate exploitation of this vulnerability.