CVE-2018-5004 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.2 and 6.3 have a Server-Side Request Forgery vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to sensitive information disclosure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/09/2020
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.2 and 6.3 contain a critical server-side request forgery vulnerability that allows remote attackers to make arbitrary requests to internal systems. This vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the application's request handling mechanisms. The flaw enables attackers to manipulate the application's behavior by crafting malicious requests that bypass normal access controls and potentially access internal resources that should remain protected. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-918 as a server-side request forgery, which represents a significant security risk in web applications where user input is not properly validated before being used in network requests.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the application processes user-supplied parameters that are directly used to construct HTTP requests to other systems. Attackers can exploit this by providing malicious input that causes the application to make requests to internal services, databases, or other sensitive systems that are not directly exposed to the internet. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be used to enumerate internal network resources, access restricted data, or even escalate privileges within the affected environment. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that Adobe Experience Manager is often deployed in enterprise environments where it may have access to sensitive internal systems.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-5004 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can potentially enable attackers to perform reconnaissance activities against internal networks. When exploited, this vulnerability allows unauthorized access to internal services that may contain sensitive data, system configurations, or administrative interfaces. The vulnerability's exploitation can lead to cascading security issues where an initial compromise of the AEM instance can result in broader network infiltration. Organizations using these affected versions face significant risk of data breaches, compliance violations, and potential regulatory penalties due to the exposure of sensitive information.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability primarily involve applying the official patches released by Adobe as part of their regular security updates. Organizations should immediately upgrade to Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.4 or later, which contain fixes for this specific vulnerability. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and access controls can help limit the potential impact of exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol: DNS, as attackers may use the vulnerability to make unauthorized requests to internal DNS servers or other services. Network monitoring and intrusion detection systems should be configured to detect unusual outbound requests from the AEM server that may indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any potential misconfigurations that could exacerbate the vulnerability's impact.