CVE-2021-37556 in Centreon
Summary
by MITRE • 08/03/2021
A SQL injection vulnerability in reporting export in Centreon before 20.04.14, 20.10.8, and 21.04.2 allows remote authenticated (but low-privileged) attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the include/reporting/dashboard/csvExport/csv_HostGroupLogs.php start and end parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/07/2021
The vulnerability CVE-2021-37556 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the Centreon monitoring platform's reporting export functionality. This issue affects versions prior to 20.04.14, 20.10.8, and 21.04.2, specifically targeting the csv_HostGroupLogs.php component that handles dashboard reporting exports. The vulnerability resides in how the system processes user-supplied input parameters, particularly the start and end parameters that define time ranges for report generation. Attackers exploiting this weakness can manipulate these parameters to inject malicious SQL commands that bypass normal input validation mechanisms and execute unauthorized database operations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the inclusion of unvalidated user input directly into SQL query construction without proper sanitization or parameterization. When authenticated users with low-privileged accounts access the reporting dashboard and initiate export operations, the system fails to adequately validate or escape the start and end timestamp parameters. This allows attackers to craft malicious inputs that can alter the intended SQL query structure, potentially enabling them to extract sensitive data, modify database contents, or even gain elevated privileges within the database layer. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-89 which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws, and demonstrates how insufficient input validation can lead to severe database compromise scenarios.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations relying on Centreon for network monitoring and management. The requirement for only low-privileged authenticated access means that attackers who have gained basic user credentials can potentially escalate their privileges and access sensitive monitoring data. This could include exposure of network configurations, system credentials, performance metrics, and other critical operational information that would normally be restricted to authorized administrators. The impact extends beyond simple data theft, as attackers could potentially modify monitoring data to obscure security incidents or create false positives that could confuse security operations teams. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the entire monitoring ecosystem.
Organizations must implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to the patched versions 20.04.14, 20.10.8, or 21.04.2 as recommended by the vendor. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and parameterized queries should be enforced throughout the application codebase to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit the potential impact of compromised low-privileged accounts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under T1071.004 for application layer protocol and T1566 for credential harvesting, highlighting how such vulnerabilities can serve as entry points for broader attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing database activity monitoring solutions to detect anomalous SQL query patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, as well as conducting thorough security audits of all application components that handle user input to prevent similar injection vulnerabilities in other systems.