CVE-2019-25022 in sVote
Summary
by MITRE • 02/27/2021
An issue was discovered in Scytl sVote 2.1. An attacker can inject code that gets executed by creating an election-event and injecting a payload over an event alias, because the application calls Runtime.getRuntime().exec() without validation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/05/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-25022 resides within Scytl sVote 2.1, a voting system designed for electronic ballot management and election administration. This critical security flaw represents a classic command injection vulnerability that fundamentally compromises the integrity and security of the electoral process. The issue manifests when an attacker exploits the application's insufficient input validation mechanisms during the creation of election events, specifically targeting the event alias field. The vulnerability stems from the application's improper handling of user-supplied data within the Runtime.getRuntime().exec() method call, which executes system commands without adequate sanitization or validation of the input parameters.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a straightforward yet dangerous injection technique where an attacker crafts malicious payloads and embeds them within the event alias during election event creation. When the system processes this malformed input, it passes the unvalidated data directly to the exec() method, enabling arbitrary code execution on the underlying system. This represents a severe breakdown in the application's security architecture, as it violates fundamental principles of secure coding practices and input validation. The vulnerability maps directly to CWE-78, which specifically addresses OS Command Injection, and demonstrates how insufficient input sanitization can lead to complete system compromise. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it allows an attacker to execute commands with the privileges of the application process, potentially enabling further escalation attacks and unauthorized access to sensitive election data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple code execution, as it fundamentally undermines the trustworthiness of the entire voting infrastructure. An attacker could potentially manipulate election results, access sensitive voter data, or disrupt the voting process entirely by executing malicious commands on the voting system. The implications for electoral integrity are profound, as this vulnerability could be exploited to alter vote counts, create fraudulent election events, or establish persistent backdoors within the system. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001, which covers command and scripting interpreter execution, and T1078.004, which addresses valid accounts with elevated privileges. The attack surface is particularly dangerous because it requires minimal specialized knowledge to exploit, making it accessible to threat actors with basic technical skills while potentially causing catastrophic damage to democratic processes.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-25022 must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements to prevent similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and sanitization measures, including strict parameter validation for all user-supplied data, particularly fields that may be processed by system execution commands. The application should employ proper escape sequences and parameterization techniques to prevent command injection attacks, while also implementing input length restrictions and character set validation. Security patches should be applied immediately to address the specific vulnerability, and organizations should conduct thorough code reviews to identify similar patterns of insecure command execution throughout the application codebase. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and privilege separation can limit the impact of successful exploitation attempts, while regular security assessments and penetration testing can help identify potential attack vectors before they can be exploited by malicious actors.