CVE-2018-5780 in Connect ONSITE
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the conferencing component of Mitel Connect ONSITE, versions R1711-PREM and earlier, and Mitel ST 14.2, release GA28 and earlier, could allow an unauthenticated attacker to inject PHP code using specially crafted requests to the vnewmeeting.php page. Successful exploit could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary PHP code within the context of the application.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/13/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-5780 resides within the conferencing functionality of Mitel Connect ONSITE and Mitel ST platforms, representing a critical security flaw that affects versions up to and including R1711-PREM and ST 14.2 GA28 respectively. This issue manifests through the vnewmeeting.php web page which fails to properly validate or sanitize user input parameters, creating an avenue for malicious code injection. The flaw directly enables unauthenticated remote code execution, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no prior authorization to exploit. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms that should have prevented malicious PHP code from being processed and executed within the application context.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a well-documented pattern that aligns with CWE-94, which describes improper validation of dangerous or unexpected inputs leading to code injection. Attackers can craft specially formatted HTTP requests containing malicious PHP code within specific parameters sent to the vulnerable vnewmeeting.php endpoint. When the application processes these requests without proper sanitization, the injected code executes within the web server's context, potentially granting attackers full control over the application and underlying system. This represents a classic server-side request forgery scenario where the application becomes an unwitting conduit for executing arbitrary code.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform extensive reconnaissance and lateral movement within the network. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could potentially access sensitive meeting data, modify conference configurations, or establish persistent access points through the compromised application. The lack of authentication requirements means that this vulnerability is immediately exploitable by anyone on the network, making it a prime target for automated scanning tools and opportunistic attackers. This vulnerability particularly impacts organizations using Mitel conferencing solutions for business communications, where meeting data often contains sensitive corporate information.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-5780 should prioritize immediate patch application from Mitel, as the vendor has released updates addressing this specific vulnerability. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to the affected conferencing components, particularly restricting external access to the vnewmeeting.php endpoint. Additional defensive measures include deploying web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious requests, implementing strict input validation rules, and conducting regular security assessments of the conferencing infrastructure. The remediation process should follow ATT&CK framework guidance for mitigating code injection vulnerabilities by focusing on input sanitization and access controls. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous behavior patterns associated with code execution attempts, as this vulnerability can be leveraged for persistent access and data exfiltration operations.