CVE-2021-28830 in Enterprise Runtime for R
Summary
by MITRE • 06/30/2021
The TIBCO Spotfire Server and TIBCO Enterprise Runtime for R components of TIBCO Software Inc.'s TIBCO Enterprise Runtime for R - Server Edition, TIBCO Enterprise Runtime for R - Server Edition, TIBCO Enterprise Runtime for R - Server Edition, TIBCO Spotfire Analytics Platform for AWS Marketplace, TIBCO Spotfire Server, TIBCO Spotfire Server, TIBCO Spotfire Server, TIBCO Spotfire Statistics Services, TIBCO Spotfire Statistics Services, and TIBCO Spotfire Statistics Services contain a vulnerability that theoretically allows a low privileged attacker with local access on the Windows operating system to insert malicious software. The affected component can be abused to execute the malicious software inserted by the attacker with the elevated privileges of the component. This vulnerability results from the affected component searching for run-time artifacts outside of the installation hierarchy. Affected releases are TIBCO Software Inc.'s TIBCO Enterprise Runtime for R - Server Edition: versions 1.2.4 and below, TIBCO Enterprise Runtime for R - Server Edition: versions 1.3.0 and 1.3.1, TIBCO Enterprise Runtime for R - Server Edition: versions 1.4.0, 1.5.0, and 1.6.0, TIBCO Spotfire Analytics Platform for AWS Marketplace: versions 11.3.0 and below, TIBCO Spotfire Server: versions 10.3.12 and below, TIBCO Spotfire Server: versions 10.4.0, 10.5.0, 10.6.0, 10.6.1, 10.7.0, 10.8.0, 10.8.1, 10.9.0, 10.10.0, 10.10.1, 10.10.2, 10.10.3, and 10.10.4, TIBCO Spotfire Server: versions 11.0.0, 11.1.0, 11.2.0, and 11.3.0, TIBCO Spotfire Statistics Services: versions 10.3.0 and below, TIBCO Spotfire Statistics Services: versions 10.10.0, 10.10.1, and 10.10.2, and TIBCO Spotfire Statistics Services: versions 11.1.0, 11.2.0, and 11.3.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/04/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-28830 represents a critical path traversal and privilege escalation flaw within TIBCO's enterprise runtime and analytics platforms. This weakness stems from the affected components' improper handling of runtime artifact resolution, specifically their tendency to search for dependencies outside of the designated installation directory structure. The vulnerability operates under the principle of insecure library loading, which is categorized under CWE-427 and CWE-428, where applications fail to properly validate or restrict the paths from which they load dynamic libraries or executables. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can leverage local access to manipulate the component's execution environment by placing malicious code in directories that the system searches during runtime resolution. The security implications are particularly severe given that the affected TIBCO products include both server editions and analytics platforms that typically operate with elevated privileges, creating a potential attack vector that could allow arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the targeted service account.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to possess local access to the Windows operating system where the affected TIBCO components are installed. This prerequisite significantly reduces the attack surface but does not eliminate the risk, as local access can be obtained through various means including credential compromise, physical access, or exploitation of other vulnerabilities within the system. The flaw manifests when the affected applications perform dynamic loading of libraries or executables without proper validation of the file paths, allowing attackers to insert malicious artifacts into directories that are part of the system's library search path. This behavior aligns with the ATT&CK framework's technique T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, and T1546.008 for Exploitation for Privilege Escalation through DLL side-loading. The affected versions span multiple major releases of both TIBCO Enterprise Runtime for R and TIBCO Spotfire Server platforms, indicating this is a persistent architectural weakness that has not been adequately addressed across the product line.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of the TIBCO software ecosystem. Organizations utilizing these platforms face potential data breaches, system compromise, and unauthorized access to sensitive analytical workloads that these systems typically handle. The vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where Spotfire Server and Enterprise Runtime for R components are deployed to process sensitive business intelligence data, making the potential consequences severe from both a security and compliance perspective. The affected versions include numerous releases across different product lines, suggesting that organizations may have multiple vulnerable instances throughout their infrastructure, potentially including cloud deployments via AWS Marketplace. This widespread impact increases the risk of cascading security incidents, as successful exploitation in one component could provide attackers with a foothold to target other interconnected systems within the enterprise network.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates released to address this vulnerability. The recommended approach involves restricting the library search paths used by the affected components to prevent loading of external artifacts, implementing proper file system permissions to limit write access to installation directories, and monitoring for unauthorized changes to system libraries or executables. Security teams should also consider implementing additional controls such as application whitelisting, mandatory access controls, and regular security scanning of system libraries to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-787 and its alignment with ATT&CK techniques T1068 and T1546.008 emphasizes the need for comprehensive security measures that address both the immediate technical flaw and broader system hardening practices. Organizations should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments across all deployed instances of the affected TIBCO products to ensure complete remediation and prevent potential exploitation attempts that could compromise their analytical and business intelligence infrastructure.