CVE-2020-11941 in Open-AudIT
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Open-AudIT 3.2.2. There is OS Command injection in Discovery.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/03/2024
The vulnerability CVE-2020-11941 represents a critical operating system command injection flaw within Open-AudIT version 3.2.2, specifically within the discovery functionality of this network auditing tool. Open-AudIT is widely used for network discovery and inventory management, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to gain unauthorized access to network infrastructure. This vulnerability resides in the discovery module where the application processes user-supplied input without proper sanitization or validation, creating an avenue for malicious command execution.
The technical exploitation of this command injection vulnerability occurs when the discovery feature processes input parameters that are subsequently passed to operating system commands without adequate filtering or escaping mechanisms. Attackers can craft malicious input that gets executed as system commands, potentially allowing them to execute arbitrary code on the affected system with the privileges of the Open-AudIT service account. This flaw falls under the CWE-77 category of Command Injection, which is classified as a high-severity vulnerability in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that Open-AudIT typically runs with elevated privileges to perform network discovery tasks, potentially enabling attackers to escalate their privileges and gain full system control.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution, as it can lead to complete system compromise and unauthorized network access. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could potentially gain access to sensitive network information, execute commands on behalf of the system, and use the compromised Open-AudIT instance as a pivot point for further attacks within the network infrastructure. The discovery functionality is particularly dangerous because it often requires extensive network access and privilege levels to operate effectively, making the attack surface even more significant. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, where adversaries execute commands through legitimate system interfaces, and T1068 for Exploitation for Privilege Escalation, as the compromised service account may have elevated privileges.
Organizations utilizing Open-AudIT 3.2.2 should immediately implement mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patch or upgrade to a non-vulnerable version of the software. Network segmentation and access controls should be enforced to limit exposure of the Open-AudIT service to only necessary network segments. Input validation and sanitization measures should be implemented at the application level to prevent malicious command injection attempts, while monitoring and logging should be enhanced to detect suspicious command execution patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of validating and sanitizing all user inputs, particularly in applications that perform system-level operations and interact with operating system commands. Security teams should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability, as the command injection may manifest in unusual system command execution patterns that deviate from normal operational behavior.