CVE-2021-32100 in Pandora FMS
Summary
by MITRE • 05/07/2021
A remote file inclusion vulnerability exists in Artica Pandora FMS 742, exploitable by the lowest privileged user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/12/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-32100 represents a critical remote file inclusion flaw within Artica Pandora FMS version 742, a widely deployed network monitoring and management platform. This vulnerability resides in the application's handling of user-supplied input within file inclusion mechanisms, creating a pathway for unauthorized remote code execution. The flaw specifically affects the software's ability to properly validate and sanitize file paths provided by users, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary file references that the application will subsequently process and execute. Given that this vulnerability is exploitable by the lowest privileged user, it significantly broadens the attack surface and reduces the barrier to successful exploitation, making it particularly concerning for organizations that rely on Pandora FMS for critical infrastructure monitoring.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the application's file handling routines, which aligns with CWE-434, a weakness category that encompasses insecure file upload and download scenarios. The flaw typically manifests when the application accepts user-provided parameters that control file inclusion operations without proper sanitization or validation, creating opportunities for attackers to reference remote files or local system resources. This weakness enables attackers to potentially load malicious code from external servers or local system files, bypassing normal access controls and executing arbitrary commands with the privileges of the application process. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers can exploit it without requiring physical access to the system, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where the application may be exposed to untrusted users or external network traffic.
The operational impact of CVE-2021-32100 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it provides attackers with the capability to establish persistent backdoors, exfiltrate sensitive monitoring data, and potentially compromise the entire monitoring infrastructure. Organizations using Pandora FMS for network security monitoring face the risk of having their intrusion detection systems compromised, which could result in undetected attacks on their networks. The vulnerability's exploitation can lead to complete system compromise, data breaches, and disruption of critical monitoring services that organizations depend upon for maintaining network security posture. Additionally, the low privilege requirement for exploitation means that even users with minimal access rights could potentially leverage this vulnerability to escalate their privileges or access sensitive system information, making it particularly dangerous in environments where user access controls are not properly enforced.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patch application from the vendor, as the flaw represents a known security issue that has been addressed through software updates. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of the affected application to untrusted networks. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by restricting user permissions and implementing proper input validation controls within the application. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious file inclusion patterns and anomalous network traffic that might indicate exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques such as T1059 for command and script injection, T1078 for valid accounts, and T1105 for remote file execution, highlighting the multi-faceted attack vectors that can emerge from a single file inclusion flaw. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify similar weaknesses in other applications within the organization's infrastructure, as this type of vulnerability often indicates broader input validation issues that may exist elsewhere in the system architecture.