CVE-2018-14735 in Command Suite
Summary
by MITRE
An Information Exposure issue was discovered in Hitachi Command Suite 8.5.3. A remote attacker may be able to exploit a flaw in the permission of messaging that may allow for information exposure via a crafted message.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/14/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-14735 represents a critical information exposure flaw within Hitachi Command Suite version 8.5.3, specifically affecting the messaging subsystem's permission handling mechanisms. This issue stems from inadequate access controls that fail to properly validate message permissions, creating an avenue for unauthorized information disclosure. The vulnerability manifests when the system processes crafted messages that bypass normal permission checks, potentially exposing sensitive data to remote attackers who can craft malicious payloads to exploit this weakness.
The technical implementation of this flaw resides in the messaging component's authorization logic where message processing does not adequately verify the sender's permissions before exposing content or metadata. This represents a classic case of insufficient authorization checks, aligning with CWE-285 which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems. The vulnerability operates at the application layer where message queuing and processing mechanisms fail to enforce proper access controls, allowing malicious actors to manipulate message flow and access information that should be restricted to authorized users only.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to potentially access sensitive operational data, configuration information, or system metadata that would normally be protected. The exposure could include system credentials, operational parameters, or other confidential information that could be leveraged for further attacks within the network. The remote exploit capability means that attackers do not require physical access or local network presence, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited from anywhere on the internet. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage and T1046 for network service scanning that could be employed to identify vulnerable systems.
The exploitation of this vulnerability typically involves crafting specially formatted messages that manipulate the messaging system's permission handling to gain access to restricted information. Attackers may use this capability to gather intelligence about the system configuration, identify potential targets for further attacks, or extract sensitive data that could be used for privilege escalation or lateral movement within the network infrastructure. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability could serve as an initial access vector for more sophisticated attacks, as the exposed information might reveal system architecture details or credential information that could be leveraged for additional compromises.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-14735 should focus on implementing proper access controls and message validation mechanisms within the Hitachi Command Suite environment. Organizations should ensure that all messaging components enforce strict permission checking and validate message sources before processing or exposing information. The recommended approach includes applying the vendor-provided security patches, implementing network segmentation to limit access to messaging components, and monitoring message flow for unusual patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for crafted messages that might attempt to exploit this vulnerability, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1082 for system information discovery and T1069.002 for credentials in files that could be accessed through this exposure.