CVE-2018-2441 in Change
Summary
by MITRE
Under certain conditions the SAP Change and Transport System (ABAP), SAP KERNEL 32 NUC, SAP KERNEL 32 Unicode, SAP KERNEL 64 NUC, SAP KERNEL 64 Unicode 7.21, 7.21EXT, 7.22 and 7.22EXT; SAP KERNEL 7.21, 7.22, 7.45, 7.49, 7.53 and 7.73, allows an attacker to transport information which would otherwise be restricted.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/15/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2441 resides within the SAP Change and Transport System component, specifically affecting multiple SAP KERNEL versions including 32-bit and 64-bit variants with both NUC and Unicode support. This issue represents a significant information disclosure flaw that undermines the security controls designed to restrict data access within SAP environments. The vulnerability manifests when specific conditions are met, allowing unauthorized information transport that should normally be restricted by the system's access controls and authorization mechanisms.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient validation of transport restrictions within the ABAP transport system, enabling attackers to bypass normal security boundaries that should prevent unauthorized data movement between different system states or authorization levels. This weakness operates at the transport layer where SAP maintains strict controls over which changes can be moved between development, testing, and production systems. The vulnerability essentially allows an attacker to manipulate transport requests in a manner that circumvents the normal authorization checks and transport restrictions that protect sensitive system data and configuration parameters.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations relying on SAP systems, as it enables potential attackers to access restricted information that could include sensitive configuration data, system parameters, or development artifacts that should remain isolated. The flaw affects multiple SAP KERNEL versions across different release lines, amplifying the potential impact across various organizational environments. Attackers could exploit this weakness to gather intelligence about system configurations, identify potential attack vectors, or access data that should be protected by standard transport restrictions and authorization controls.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant SAP security patches and updates released to address this vulnerability, reviewing and strengthening transport authorization settings, and conducting comprehensive audits of existing transport requests to identify any unauthorized movements. Security teams should also enhance monitoring of transport system activities and implement additional controls around transport request creation and approval processes. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and represents a significant concern for organizations following ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and defense evasion techniques. Organizations must also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of SAP systems to potential attackers, while ensuring that transport system configurations properly enforce authorization boundaries as specified in SAP security best practices and compliance requirements.