CVE-2019-9929 in CFEngine Enterprise
Summary
by MITRE
Northern.tech CFEngine Enterprise 3.12.1 has Insecure Permissions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/28/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-9929 affects Northern.tech CFEngine Enterprise version 3.12.1 and stems from insecure permissions within the software's file system implementation. This issue represents a critical security flaw that allows unauthorized users to gain elevated privileges and potentially compromise the entire system. The vulnerability resides in how CFEngine handles file and directory permissions, creating opportunities for privilege escalation attacks that can undermine the integrity of the configuration management infrastructure.
The technical flaw manifests through improper permission settings that permit malicious actors to modify critical system files or directories without appropriate authentication. This insecure permission model enables attackers to manipulate configuration files, potentially leading to unauthorized system changes or complete system compromise. The vulnerability specifically impacts the enterprise version of CFEngine, which is widely deployed in enterprise environments for configuration management and system compliance enforcement. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource, which directly addresses the improper assignment of permissions that allows unauthorized access to critical system components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it can enable attackers to establish persistent backdoors within the configuration management framework. Since CFEngine is designed to maintain system compliance and enforce security policies, an attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can effectively subvert the very security mechanisms the software is meant to provide. This creates a particularly dangerous scenario where the attacker can modify the configuration management policies themselves, potentially hiding their activities from detection systems and maintaining long-term access to the compromised environment. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the T1068: Exploitation for Privilege Escalation tactic.
Organizations utilizing CFEngine Enterprise 3.12.1 should immediately implement mitigations including proper permission audits, system hardening procedures, and immediate patching to address the insecure permissions issue. The recommended approach involves reviewing all file and directory permissions within the CFEngine installation, ensuring that only authorized users and processes have write access to critical system components. System administrators should also implement monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized permission changes and establish baseline configurations that prevent the exploitation of this vulnerability. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper permission management in enterprise security frameworks, where misconfigurations can provide attackers with direct pathways to system compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive infrastructure components.