CVE-2018-2389 in Internet Graphics Server
Summary
by MITRE
Under certain conditions a malicious user can inject log files of SAP Internet Graphics Server (IGS), 7.20, 7.20EXT, 7.45, 7.49, 7.53, hiding important information in the log file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/05/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2389 affects SAP Internet Graphics Server IGS versions 7.20, 7.20EXT, 7.45, 7.49, and 7.53, presenting a significant security risk through log file manipulation capabilities. This issue falls under the category of log injection attacks that exploit weaknesses in how the system processes and logs user input, creating opportunities for malicious actors to obscure or distort critical security information within system logs.
The technical flaw resides in the insufficient sanitization and validation of user-supplied data within the logging mechanisms of SAP IGS. When users interact with the system, particularly through web interfaces or API endpoints, the application fails to properly filter or escape input parameters before incorporating them into log file entries. This vulnerability enables an attacker to craft malicious input that, when processed by the system, results in log entries containing crafted payloads designed to hide or manipulate security-relevant information. The flaw is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to inject log entries that can mask actual security incidents or malicious activities, making it difficult for security operations teams to detect and respond to genuine threats.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information obfuscation, creating substantial risks for incident response and forensic analysis capabilities. Security administrators rely heavily on accurate log data to identify unauthorized access attempts, monitor system behavior, and conduct security investigations. When malicious users can inject crafted log entries, they effectively create a false narrative within the system's audit trail, potentially hiding evidence of actual breaches, privilege escalation attempts, or other security violations. This manipulation can lead to delayed detection of real security incidents, false assurance during ongoing attacks, and compromised forensic investigations that may be required for compliance auditing or legal proceedings.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-117, which addresses improper output neutralization for logs, and aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including TA0005 (Defense Evasion) and TA0003 (Persistence). The attack pattern demonstrates how adversaries can leverage application-level weaknesses to manipulate system audit trails, a technique commonly used to avoid detection and maintain long-term access to compromised systems. The vulnerability also reflects broader concerns about input validation and output encoding practices that are fundamental to secure application development and align with OWASP Top Ten categories related to injection flaws and inadequate logging practices.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-2389 must focus on strengthening input validation and output encoding mechanisms within SAP IGS implementations. Organizations should implement comprehensive sanitization of all user-supplied data before logging, employ proper escaping techniques for log entry generation, and establish strict validation rules for input parameters. Additionally, security teams should consider implementing log integrity monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous patterns or suspicious entries that may indicate log injection attempts. SAP has released patches and updates for affected versions, and organizations should prioritize applying these security fixes while also conducting thorough security assessments of their IGS implementations. Regular log analysis procedures should be enhanced to include detection of potential injection patterns, and access controls should be strengthened to limit the ability of unauthorized users to influence system logging behavior.