CVE-2018-6664 in Data Loss Prevention
Summary
by MITRE
Application Protections Bypass vulnerability in Microsoft Windows in McAfee Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Endpoint before 10.0.500 and DLP Endpoint before 11.0.400 allows authenticated users to bypass the product block action via a command-line utility.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/17/2023
The vulnerability CVE-2018-6664 represents a critical application protections bypass issue within McAfee Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Endpoint software running on Microsoft Windows systems. This security flaw affects versions prior to 10.0.500 and 11.0.400, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on DLP solutions for data protection. The vulnerability specifically targets the authentication mechanisms and access controls implemented by McAfee DLP Endpoint, allowing authenticated users to circumvent intended security restrictions through legitimate command-line utilities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation and authorization checks within the McAfee DLP Endpoint components. When authenticated users execute specific command-line operations, they can manipulate the system to bypass the configured block actions that should prevent certain data access or transfer activities. This flaw operates at the application level where proper access control enforcement fails to validate user intentions against the established security policies. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it leverages legitimate system utilities rather than exploiting system-level weaknesses, making detection more challenging for security monitoring tools. According to CWE classification, this represents a weakness in authorization mechanisms where the system fails to properly enforce access control policies, specifically categorized under CWE-285 which deals with improper authorization in access control systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple access control bypass, potentially enabling data exfiltration and unauthorized information disclosure. An authenticated attacker could exploit this weakness to gain access to sensitive data that should be protected by DLP policies, undermining the entire purpose of implementing DLP solutions. The vulnerability affects organizations that deploy McAfee DLP Endpoint as their primary data protection mechanism, potentially exposing confidential information to unauthorized individuals within the network. This could result in significant regulatory compliance violations, financial losses, and reputational damage for affected enterprises. The attack vector through command-line utilities also suggests that this vulnerability could be exploited through various legitimate administrative activities, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users have elevated privileges.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the patched versions of McAfee DLP Endpoint 10.0.500 and 11.0.400, which address the authorization bypass issue through enhanced validation of command-line operations. Network segmentation and privilege reduction strategies should be implemented to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, while enhanced monitoring of command-line activities can help detect anomalous behavior. Security teams should also review existing DLP policies to ensure proper enforcement of access controls and consider implementing additional layers of protection such as application whitelisting and mandatory access controls. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation and defense evasion techniques, highlighting the need for comprehensive security controls that address both user-level access and system-level protection mechanisms. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected versions of McAfee DLP Endpoint and ensure that all administrative activities are properly monitored and audited to prevent exploitation of this authorization bypass vulnerability.