CVE-2019-20155 in Contract Lifecycle Management
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in report_edit.jsp in Determine (formerly Selectica) Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) v5.4. Any authenticated user may execute Groovy code when generating a report, resulting in arbitrary code execution on the underlying server.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/19/2024
This vulnerability exists in Determine CLM version 5.4 within the report_edit.jsp component where authenticated users can exploit a server-side code execution flaw through improper input validation and sanitization. The issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate user-supplied data when processing report generation requests, allowing maliciously crafted input to be interpreted as executable Groovy code rather than simple data. This represents a critical security flaw that directly violates the principle of least privilege and input validation as outlined in CWE-94, which specifically addresses the execution of arbitrary code due to insufficient input sanitization. The vulnerability enables authenticated attackers to leverage the application's reporting functionality as a vector for arbitrary code execution, potentially compromising the entire underlying server infrastructure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through the Groovy scripting engine integration within the CLM platform, where user-provided parameters are directly passed to the code execution engine without proper sanitization or context validation. When an authenticated user accesses the report_edit.jsp page and submits specially crafted parameters, the application fails to distinguish between legitimate report configuration data and malicious script payloads. This flaw creates an environment where attackers can inject Groovy code that gets executed within the server's context, effectively allowing them to perform operations such as file system access, network communication, and privilege escalation. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for executing malicious code through script interpreters, specifically targeting the Groovy scripting environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching, as it provides attackers with a direct path to compromise the entire CLM platform and potentially the underlying infrastructure. Successful exploitation can result in complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and persistence mechanisms being established within the environment. The vulnerability affects organizations using Determine CLM v5.4, which represents a significant portion of contract management systems in enterprise environments where sensitive contractual data resides. The authenticated nature of the vulnerability means that attackers must first gain valid credentials, but this requirement does not significantly mitigate the risk given that credential compromise is a common attack vector in enterprise environments. Organizations may face regulatory compliance violations, financial losses, and reputational damage if exploited successfully.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate patching of the Determine CLM platform to version 5.5 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for input validation and sanitization. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to the CLM application, enforce strict access controls, and monitor for unusual report generation activities. Additional defensive measures include disabling unnecessary scripting capabilities within the application, implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads, and conducting regular security assessments of the application's input handling mechanisms. The remediation process should involve thorough code review of the report_edit.jsp component to ensure proper input validation and output encoding practices are implemented. Security teams should also consider implementing behavioral monitoring to detect anomalous code execution patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, as the vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple code execution to potentially include data manipulation and privilege escalation scenarios.