CVE-2019-6689 in Tidal Workload Automation Agent
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Dillon Kane Tidal Workload Automation Agent 3.2.0.5 (formerly known as Cisco Workload Automation or CWA). The Enterprise Scheduler for AIX allows local users to gain privileges via Command Injection in crafted Tidal Job Buffers (TJB) parameters. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because the CVE-2014-3272 solution did not address AIX operating systems.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/07/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-6689 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within the Tidal Workload Automation Agent version 3.2.0.5, formerly known as Cisco Workload Automation. This system serves as a enterprise-grade job scheduling and automation platform that manages complex workflow processes across various operating systems including AIX. The vulnerability specifically affects the Enterprise Scheduler component designed for AIX environments, creating a dangerous attack surface that allows local users to execute arbitrary commands with elevated privileges. The flaw manifests through crafted Tidal Job Buffers parameters that exploit command injection vulnerabilities within the job processing pipeline, effectively bypassing existing security controls that were implemented to address similar issues in other operating systems.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the Tidal Workload Automation Agent's processing of TJB parameters on AIX systems. When the system processes job buffers containing specially crafted command injection payloads, it fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input before executing system commands. This allows an attacker to inject malicious commands that get executed with the privileges of the Tidal Agent process, which typically runs with elevated permissions to manage enterprise workloads. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it was not addressed by the solution implemented for CVE-2014-3272, which was designed to fix similar command injection issues but only covered non-AIX operating systems, leaving the AIX platform with a persistent security gap.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to potentially compromise entire enterprise automation infrastructures. Local users who can submit job buffers to the Tidal Workload Automation Agent can leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, potentially gaining access to sensitive enterprise data, modifying critical automation workflows, or establishing persistent backdoors within the organization's job scheduling environment. This threat vector is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Tidal Workload Automation agents often run with administrative privileges and manage critical business processes. The vulnerability could enable attackers to disrupt business operations, steal sensitive information, or create unauthorized access points within the automation infrastructure that could be used for further lateral movement within the network.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates that specifically address the AIX platform command injection vulnerability. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as restricting local user access to Tidal Job Buffer submission capabilities and monitoring job buffer processing activities for suspicious command execution patterns. Network segmentation and privilege minimization strategies should be enforced to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-77 and CWE-94 categories related to command injection and code injection flaws, and represents a technique that could be mapped to ATT&CK tactics including privilege escalation and command and control through the execution of malicious payloads within legitimate automation processes. Regular security assessments of enterprise workload automation systems should be conducted to identify similar gaps in other components that may have been overlooked during previous security remediation efforts.