CVE-2018-7775 in U.motion Builder
Summary
by MITRE
The vulnerability exists within error.php in Schneider Electric U.motion Builder software versions prior to v1.3.4. System information is returned to the attacker that contains sensitive data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/24/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-7775 resides within the error.php component of Schneider Electric U.motion Builder software versions earlier than v1.3.4, representing a critical information disclosure flaw that exposes system-sensitive data to unauthorized attackers. This vulnerability falls under the category of improper error handling and sensitive data exposure, which aligns with CWE-209 and CWE-497 in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog. The flaw manifests when the application encounters an error condition and subsequently returns detailed system information to the client-side browser, creating an unintended data leakage channel that can be exploited by malicious actors to gain insights into the underlying system architecture and configuration details.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate error message handling within the error.php script, which fails to sanitize or filter system-specific information before returning responses to client requests. When the software encounters an exception or error condition, the error.php component generates verbose error messages that include system paths, component versions, database information, and potentially other sensitive metadata that should remain hidden from external access. This behavior violates fundamental security principles regarding information hiding and privilege separation, as it provides attackers with valuable reconnaissance data that can be used to craft more sophisticated attacks against the system. The vulnerability specifically impacts the error handling mechanism and represents a failure in the application's defensive programming practices.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-7775 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the leaked system information can significantly aid attackers in planning targeted attacks against the Schneider Electric U.motion Builder environment. The sensitive data exposed through this vulnerability may include database connection strings, file paths, version numbers of underlying components, and potentially other system artifacts that can be leveraged for privilege escalation, lateral movement, or exploitation of additional vulnerabilities within the system. This information disclosure vulnerability creates a pathway for attackers to bypass initial reconnaissance phases and directly access critical system details that would otherwise require significant effort to obtain through legitimate means, effectively reducing the attack surface and increasing the likelihood of successful exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-7775 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Schneider Electric U.motion Builder installations to version 1.3.4 or later, which contains the necessary fixes to address the improper error handling behavior. Organizations should also implement comprehensive error handling procedures that ensure system-generated error messages do not contain sensitive information and that all error responses are standardized to prevent data leakage. Security configurations should include disabling verbose error messages in production environments and implementing proper logging mechanisms that capture error conditions without exposing system details. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should be reinforced to limit exposure of affected systems to untrusted networks, while compliance with security frameworks such as NIST SP 800-53 and ISO 27001 should be maintained to ensure proper error handling practices are integrated into the overall security posture of industrial control systems. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of implementing proper input validation and error handling as part of secure coding practices, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1211 for defense evasion through error message manipulation.