CVE-2020-24665 in Vantara Pentaho
Summary
by MITRE • 01/30/2021
The Dashboard Editor in Hitachi Vantara Pentaho through 7.x - 8.x contains an XML Entity Expansion injection vulnerability, which allows an authenticated remote users to trigger a denial of service (DoS) condition. Specifically, the vulnerability lies in the 'dashboardXml' parameter. Remediated in >= 7.1.0.25, >= 8.2.0.6, >= 8.3.0.0 GA
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/21/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-24665 affects the Hitachi Vantara Pentaho platform, specifically within its Dashboard Editor component across versions 7.x through 8.x. This represents a critical security flaw that enables authenticated remote attackers to exploit a denial of service condition through XML Entity Expansion injection techniques. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates within a widely used business intelligence and data analytics platform, potentially affecting numerous organizations that rely on Pentaho for their dashboard and reporting capabilities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through the 'dashboardXml' parameter processing within the Dashboard Editor functionality. When an authenticated user submits maliciously crafted XML content containing expansive entity references, the system fails to properly validate or limit the expansion of XML entities during parsing operations. This XML Entity Expansion injection flaw allows attackers to craft specially formatted XML documents that, when processed by the Pentaho system, trigger excessive resource consumption through recursive entity expansion. The vulnerability manifests as a denial of service condition where legitimate system resources become consumed to the point of rendering the application unavailable to other users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it represents a significant threat to business continuity within organizations using Pentaho platforms. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to exhaust system memory, CPU resources, and processing capabilities, effectively rendering the dashboard editor unusable for legitimate users. The authenticated nature of the attack means that adversaries must first gain valid credentials, but this requirement does not significantly reduce the risk since Pentaho platforms often serve as central components in enterprise environments where credential compromise can have widespread consequences. Organizations may experience extended downtime, reduced productivity, and potential business disruption when this vulnerability is exploited.
The remediation for CVE-2020-24665 has been addressed in specific version releases including 7.1.0.25, 8.2.0.6, and 8.3.0.0 GA, which incorporate proper input validation and XML parsing restrictions to prevent excessive entity expansion. Organizations should prioritize upgrading to these patched versions to eliminate the vulnerability. Security teams should also implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and consider implementing additional access controls and user authentication measures to limit potential attack surfaces. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes it as an Uncontrolled Resource Consumption vulnerability, and could be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for denial of service attacks. The fix typically involves implementing proper XML entity expansion limits and input sanitization within the dashboard editor component to prevent recursive entity resolution that could lead to resource exhaustion.