CVE-2018-7068 in CentralView Fraud Risk Management
Summary
by MITRE
HPE has identified a remote HOST header attack vulnerability in HPE CentralView Fraud Risk Management earlier than version CV 6.1. This isssue is resolved in HF16 for HPE CV 6.1 or subsequent version.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/13/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-7068 represents a critical remote HOST header attack vector within HPE CentralView Fraud Risk Management software versions prior to CV 6.1. This weakness allows attackers to manipulate the HTTP Host header during authentication processes, potentially enabling unauthorized access to the system. The flaw specifically affects the authentication mechanism that relies on the HOST header for session management and access control decisions, creating an avenue for session hijacking and privilege escalation attacks.
This vulnerability stems from improper input validation and sanitization of HTTP headers within the application's authentication flow. The HOST header is a standard HTTP header that contains the domain name and port number of the server to which the request is being sent. When applications fail to properly validate or sanitize this header, attackers can inject malicious values that may be interpreted by the application as legitimate requests. The flaw manifests when the application uses the HOST header value for authentication decisions, access control, or session management without adequate validation controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple authentication bypasses, as it can enable attackers to perform session fixation attacks, manipulate application behavior, and potentially gain elevated privileges within the fraud risk management system. Organizations using affected versions of HPE CentralView Fraud Risk Management face significant risks including unauthorized access to sensitive financial data, manipulation of fraud detection rules, and potential compromise of the entire fraud monitoring infrastructure. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in financial environments where fraud risk management systems handle critical transaction data and regulatory compliance requirements.
The remediation for CVE-2018-7068 requires applying the HPE hotfix HF16 to HPE CV 6.1 or upgrading to subsequent versions that contain the necessary security patches. This fix addresses the improper handling of the HOST header by implementing proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as HTTP header validation, web application firewalls, and monitoring for suspicious HOST header values. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which covers "Improper Input Validation," and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential access through manipulation of authentication mechanisms. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments to ensure proper implementation of the patch and verify that no other similar vulnerabilities exist within their HPE CentralView deployments or related systems.