CVE-2018-5474 in IntelliSpace Portal
Summary
by MITRE
Philips Intellispace Portal all versions 7.0.x and 8.0.x have an input validation vulnerability that could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause the application to crash.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/16/2020
The Philips Intellispace Portal represents a critical healthcare information system used for medical imaging and patient data management across hospital environments. This platform serves as a central hub for radiology departments and clinical workflows, processing sensitive patient information and medical images. The vulnerability identified in versions 7.0.x and 8.0.x stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the application's processing pipeline. This flaw exists in the system's handling of user-supplied data that flows through various input channels including web forms, API endpoints, and data import functions. The vulnerability creates a pathway for remote attackers to inject malicious payloads that bypass normal validation checks, potentially leading to unauthorized system access or complete system compromise.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through manipulation of input parameters that are not properly sanitized before processing. Attackers can craft specially formatted inputs that trigger buffer overflows, injection attacks, or other code execution scenarios within the application environment. This weakness falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category of input validation failures, specifically mapping to CWE-20 which encompasses weakness in input validation. The vulnerability allows for both arbitrary code execution and denial of service conditions, making it particularly dangerous in healthcare environments where system availability directly impacts patient care. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can exploit this flaw from outside the organization's network perimeter without requiring physical access or prior authentication.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system compromise to encompass serious patient safety and data integrity concerns. Healthcare organizations using affected versions of Intellispace Portal face potential exposure of sensitive patient medical records, disruption of critical radiology workflows, and possible system downtime that could delay diagnostic procedures. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the medical imaging platform, potentially causing application crashes that interrupt clinical operations and create workflow disruptions. Given that these systems often operate in 24/7 clinical environments, any denial of service condition could result in significant operational delays and safety risks for patients requiring immediate medical imaging services.
Security mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate deployment of vendor-provided patches and updates to the Intellispace Portal software. Organizations must implement network segmentation to limit access to the affected systems and establish monitoring protocols to detect potential exploitation attempts. The remediation process should involve comprehensive input validation improvements and enhanced application hardening measures. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their healthcare IT infrastructure to identify similar weaknesses in other medical systems. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1203 technique for legitimate credentials and T1059 for command and script interpreters, highlighting the multi-stage attack potential that could lead to persistent system compromise. Regular security assessments and patch management procedures should be strengthened to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other healthcare information systems.