CVE-2019-0268 in Business Intelligence Platform
Summary
by MITRE
SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform (CMC Module), versions 4.10, 4.20 and 4.30, does not sufficiently validate an XML document accepted from an untrusted source.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/31/2023
SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform CMC Module versions 4.10, 4.20, and 4.30 contain a critical vulnerability in their XML processing mechanism that allows for insufficient validation of documents received from untrusted sources. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-611 weakness category, which specifically addresses Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference, and represents a significant security gap in the platform's input sanitization capabilities. The flaw exists within the document processing pipeline where the system fails to adequately restrict or validate XML entities that could be maliciously constructed by attackers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows an attacker to craft specially formatted XML documents that can exploit the platform's inadequate validation mechanisms. When the system processes these malformed XML inputs, it fails to properly sanitize or restrict the entity references within the document structure, potentially enabling attackers to perform various malicious activities including but not limited to XML external entity injection attacks. The vulnerability specifically affects the CMC (Central Management Console) module, which serves as a critical administrative interface for managing business intelligence platform components and configurations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption or system disruption. Attackers leveraging this weakness could potentially execute arbitrary code on the affected systems, escalate privileges within the platform, or gain unauthorized access to sensitive business intelligence data and administrative controls. The risk is particularly elevated in enterprise environments where SAP BusinessObjects platforms often contain critical business data and serve as central management points for complex business intelligence workflows. The vulnerability creates potential for privilege escalation attacks and could enable attackers to compromise the entire business intelligence platform infrastructure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including disabling unnecessary XML processing capabilities, implementing strict input validation measures, and applying the latest security patches provided by SAP. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1210 - Exploitation of Remote Services and T1068 - Exploitation for Privilege Escalation, indicating the attack vectors and potential outcomes of exploitation. Network segmentation and access control measures should be enforced to limit exposure of the affected modules, while regular security assessments should be conducted to identify and remediate similar validation weaknesses across the enterprise platform ecosystem.