CVE-2018-7217 in Bravo Tejari Procurement Portal
Summary
by MITRE
In Bravo Tejari Procurement Portal, uploaded files are not properly validated by the application either on the client or the server side. An attacker can take advantage of this vulnerability and upload malicious executable files to compromise the application, as demonstrated by an esop/evm/OPPreliminaryForms.do?formId=857 request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/08/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-7217 represents a critical file upload security flaw within the Bravo Tejari Procurement Portal application. This weakness stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize or verify file uploads occurring both client-side and server-side within the web application framework. The vulnerability specifically manifests in the procurement portal's handling of user-uploaded content, creating an attack surface that adversaries can exploit to execute arbitrary code within the application environment. The security flaw is particularly concerning as it affects a business-critical procurement system that likely processes sensitive organizational data and documents.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to bypass normal file validation controls through a specific endpoint identified as esop/evm/OPPreliminaryForms.do?formId=857. This endpoint appears to serve as a file upload handler within the procurement portal's form processing functionality, where the application fails to enforce proper file type restrictions or content validation. The absence of server-side file validation creates a pathway for malicious actors to upload executable files or scripts that can be executed within the application context. This type of vulnerability is classified as a CWE-434: Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type, which directly relates to insecure file handling practices that enable arbitrary code execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized file uploads, as it provides attackers with the capability to compromise the entire application infrastructure. Once an attacker successfully uploads a malicious file, they can potentially execute code with the privileges of the web application user, leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or lateral movement within the network. The procurement portal environment likely contains sensitive organizational information, making this vulnerability particularly attractive to threat actors seeking to gain persistent access to enterprise systems. The vulnerability's exploitation could result in significant financial loss, regulatory compliance violations, and damage to organizational reputation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-7217 should implement multiple layers of defense including strict file type validation, content-based file analysis, and proper access controls for file upload functionality. Organizations should enforce server-side validation that checks file extensions against a whitelist of approved types, performs MIME type verification, and analyzes file content to detect potentially malicious payloads. The implementation of secure file upload practices aligns with ATT&CK technique T1195.001: Supply Chain Compromise and addresses the broader category of web application vulnerabilities under the MITRE ATT&CK framework. Additionally, network segmentation, regular security assessments, and monitoring of file upload activities should be implemented to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of defense-in-depth strategies and proper input validation as fundamental security controls that must be implemented across all web application components to prevent similar attacks.