CVE-2019-7932 in Magento
Summary
by MITRE
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Magento Open Source prior to 1.9.4.2, and Magento Commerce prior to 1.14.4.2, Magento 2.1 prior to 2.1.18, Magento 2.2 prior to 2.2.9, Magento 2.3 prior to 2.3.2. An authenticated user with admin privileges to create sitemaps can execute arbitrary PHP code by creating a malicious sitemap file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/20/2020
This vulnerability represents a critical remote code execution flaw in Magento e-commerce platforms that affects multiple versions across both Magento Open Source and Magento Commerce distributions. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the sitemap creation functionality, allowing authenticated administrators to inject malicious PHP code into sitemap files that are subsequently processed by the application. The flaw specifically manifests when an attacker with administrative privileges creates a sitemap file containing malicious code, which then gets executed during the sitemap generation process. This represents a privilege escalation vulnerability where the attacker leverages their existing administrative access to gain full code execution capabilities on the target system. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires only administrative access rather than arbitrary user access, making it more exploitable in environments where administrative credentials might be compromised through other means. The issue aligns with CWE-94, which describes weaknesses in the code that allow for the execution of arbitrary code or commands, and follows the ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and script injection. The technical implementation involves the application's failure to properly validate file contents when processing sitemap creation requests, allowing PHP code injection through the sitemap file format processing mechanism. This vulnerability can be exploited to execute arbitrary commands on the server, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and further lateral movement within the network infrastructure. The impact extends beyond immediate code execution as attackers can use this vulnerability to establish persistent backdoors, modify application behavior, and access sensitive customer data stored within the Magento system. Organizations using affected Magento versions face significant risk exposure, particularly those with exposed administrative interfaces or compromised administrative accounts. The vulnerability affects not just the core Magento platform but also extends to various Magento 2.x versions, indicating a systemic issue in how the platform handles sitemap file processing. Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of validating all user-supplied input, especially in administrative functions where elevated privileges are already granted. The exploitation process typically involves creating a specially crafted sitemap file that contains PHP code, which is then processed by the Magento application during normal sitemap generation operations. This allows attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code with the privileges of the web application, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability's severity is compounded by the fact that it can be exploited through legitimate administrative functionality, making it difficult to detect through standard security monitoring. Organizations should consider implementing additional security controls such as input validation, file type restrictions, and monitoring of administrative activities to mitigate the risk. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of timely patch management and regular security assessments, as the issue was addressed through specific version updates that properly validate sitemap file contents. This represents a classic example of how administrative functionality can be weaponized when proper input validation is missing, and underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of all user-accessible features. The affected versions demonstrate that this was not a one-time issue but rather a persistent problem in Magento's sitemap handling logic that required multiple version-specific patches to address properly.