CVE-2021-28110 in TranzWare e-Commerce Payment Gateway
Summary
by MITRE • 03/19/2021
/exec in TranzWare e-Commerce Payment Gateway (TWEC PG) before 3.1.27.5 had a vulnerability in its XML parser.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/03/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-28110 affects the TranzWare e-Commerce Payment Gateway (TWEC PG) software version 3.1.27.5 and earlier, specifically within its XML parser implementation. This issue represents a critical security flaw that could potentially allow attackers to manipulate or exploit the payment processing system through malformed XML input. The vulnerability resides in the /exec endpoint which serves as a crucial interface for processing payment transactions and handling various payment-related operations within the e-commerce payment gateway framework.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the XML parser component of the TWEC PG system. When processing XML data through the /exec endpoint, the software fails to properly validate or sanitize incoming XML payloads, creating an environment where maliciously crafted XML input could trigger unexpected behavior in the parser. This vulnerability falls under the category of XML external entity processing (XXE) attacks, where attackers can manipulate the XML parser to access internal resources, perform unauthorized operations, or potentially execute arbitrary code. The lack of proper XML schema validation and secure parser configuration creates a pathway for attackers to exploit the system through carefully constructed XML payloads that could leverage the parser's capabilities in unintended ways.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, as it could potentially compromise the entire payment processing infrastructure of affected systems. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability might gain access to sensitive payment data, manipulate transaction records, or disrupt payment processing services entirely. The implications are particularly severe for e-commerce platforms that rely on the TranzWare payment gateway, as any successful exploitation could lead to financial losses, data breaches, and compromise of customer payment information. The vulnerability could also enable attackers to escalate their privileges within the payment gateway environment, potentially gaining deeper access to system resources and internal network components that are typically protected from external access.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to TWEC PG version 3.1.27.5 or later, which contains the necessary security patches to address the XML parser vulnerability. Additional protective measures should include implementing strict XML input validation, disabling unnecessary XML parser features, and configuring secure parser settings that prevent external entity resolution. Security teams should also monitor for any signs of exploitation attempts and implement network segmentation to limit potential lateral movement if an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability. The mitigation strategy should align with industry best practices for XML security and align with standards such as those outlined in the CWE-611 (XML External Entity Processing) category and ATT&CK technique T1213.002 (Data from Information Repositories) for defensive measures against such vulnerabilities.