CVE-2022-0842 in ePolicy Orchestrator
Summary
by MITRE • 03/23/2022
A blind SQL injection vulnerability in McAfee Enterprise ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) prior to 5.10 Update 13 allows a remote authenticated attacker to potentially obtain information from the ePO database. The data obtained is dependent on the privileges the attacker has and to obtain sensitive data the attacker would require administrator privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/25/2022
The vulnerability CVE-2022-0842 represents a critical blind sql injection flaw within McAfee Enterprise ePolicy Orchestrator version 5.10 Update 12 and earlier releases. This vulnerability exists in the web application component of ePO, which serves as a centralized security management platform for enterprise environments. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the application's database query processing mechanisms, creating an entry point for malicious actors to manipulate database interactions through crafted input parameters. The vulnerability is classified as blind sql injection under CWE-89, which occurs when user-supplied data is directly incorporated into sql queries without proper escaping or parameterization, making it particularly dangerous due to its stealthy nature and potential for data exfiltration.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an authenticated attacker who can submit malicious input through the ePO web interface or api endpoints. When the application processes this input, the sql injection occurs within the database layer, allowing the attacker to craft queries that can extract information from the underlying database without immediate visible feedback. The blind nature of this injection means that the attacker must rely on indirect methods to determine whether their malicious queries succeed, typically through response timing variations or conditional responses. The vulnerability specifically affects database interactions that handle user input, particularly in areas where search functionality or data filtering operations are performed, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where ePO manages sensitive security policies and device information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it enables attackers to potentially escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to sensitive enterprise security infrastructure. The severity of the impact is directly correlated to the attacker's privilege level within the ePO environment, but successful exploitation by an attacker with administrative privileges could result in complete compromise of the security management platform. This would allow malicious actors to view, modify, or delete security policies, access sensitive device information, and potentially manipulate the entire security posture of the enterprise. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the security management infrastructure, which is fundamental to enterprise cybersecurity operations. Organizations using vulnerable versions of ePO face significant risk of unauthorized access to their security configurations and device management data, potentially leading to broader security incidents throughout the enterprise network.
Organizations should immediately implement the vendor-provided patch for ePO version 5.10 Update 13, which addresses the sql injection vulnerability through proper input validation and parameterized query implementation. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of the patched environment to ensure no regression in functionality while verifying that the sql injection vectors have been eliminated. Security teams should also conduct thorough network monitoring to detect any suspicious activities that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on unusual database query patterns or unauthorized access attempts to ePO administrative functions. Additional mitigations include implementing network segmentation to limit access to ePO servers, enforcing strict access controls and privilege management, and deploying web application firewalls to monitor and filter potentially malicious requests. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002 for data from databases and T1078.004 for legitimate accounts, highlighting the need for comprehensive security controls that address both the technical vulnerability and potential attacker behaviors. Organizations should also review their incident response procedures to ensure readiness for potential exploitation attempts and implement proper logging and alerting mechanisms to detect unauthorized database access attempts.