CVE-2018-15529 in Monitoring Appliance
Summary
by MITRE
A command injection vulnerability in maintenance.cgi in Mutiny "Monitoring Appliance" before 6.1.0-5263 allows authenticated users, with access to the admin interface, to inject arbitrary commands within the filename of a system upgrade upload.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-15529 represents a critical command injection flaw within the Mutiny Monitoring Appliance software ecosystem. This security weakness exists in the maintenance.cgi component and affects versions prior to 6.1.0-5263, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on this network monitoring solution. The flaw specifically targets the system upgrade upload functionality, where authenticated administrative users can manipulate the filename parameter to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying system. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of CWE-77 which encompasses command injection weaknesses, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter execution. The attack vector requires an authenticated user with administrative privileges, making it particularly dangerous as it leverages legitimate administrative access to escalate privileges and execute malicious code.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the maintenance.cgi script. When users attempt to upload system upgrades through the administrative interface, the application fails to properly sanitize the filename parameter, allowing special characters and command sequences to be interpreted by the underlying shell. This creates an environment where attackers can inject shell commands that will execute with the privileges of the web server process, typically running with elevated system permissions. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates within the administrative interface, meaning that successful exploitation requires only the ability to authenticate as an administrator rather than requiring additional reconnaissance or privilege escalation techniques. The flaw demonstrates poor input handling practices that violate fundamental security principles of least privilege and input validation.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-15529 extends beyond simple code execution, as it can enable full system compromise and persistent access within affected networks. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain complete control over the monitoring appliance, potentially using it as a foothold to pivot to other systems within the network. The compromised appliance could then be used to monitor network traffic, exfiltrate sensitive data, or serve as a command and control node for further attacks. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability and integrity of network monitoring capabilities, as the compromised system could be used to disable or manipulate monitoring functions. The attack could result in data breaches, service disruption, and the potential for lateral movement within the network infrastructure, making it a serious concern for organizations that depend on continuous network monitoring for security operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-15529 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to version 6.1.0-5263 or later, which contains the necessary input validation fixes. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit administrative access to only necessary personnel, reducing the attack surface for privilege-based exploitation. Additional defensive measures include monitoring for suspicious file upload activities and implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious command injection attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and output encoding practices, as recommended by OWASP and other security frameworks. Security teams should also conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to identify similar weaknesses in other network monitoring and management systems. Organizations should review their administrative access controls and implement principle of least privilege policies to minimize the potential impact of such vulnerabilities, particularly in environments where network monitoring appliances serve as critical security infrastructure components.