CVE-2022-35872 in Ignition
Summary
by MITRE • 07/25/2022
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Inductive Automation Ignition 8.1.15 (b2022030114). User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the parsing of ZIP files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in deserialization of untrusted data. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-17115.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/27/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-35872 represents a critical remote code execution flaw within Inductive Automation Ignition 8.1.15, specifically affecting systems that process ZIP file archives. This vulnerability resides in the application's deserialization mechanism and falls under the category of insecure deserialization as classified by CWE-502. The flaw manifests when the software parses ZIP files without adequate validation of user-supplied data, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject crafted payloads that can be executed with elevated privileges. The vulnerability operates at the core of application security principles where improper input validation leads to dangerous code execution scenarios.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user interaction component, meaning that targets must either visit a malicious webpage or open a specially crafted malicious file containing the vulnerable ZIP archive. This user interaction requirement places the vulnerability in the context of social engineering attacks where attackers must convince victims to perform specific actions. The deserialization process becomes the attack vector when the application attempts to unpack and process the ZIP file contents, executing arbitrary code in the context of the SYSTEM account. This privilege escalation aspect significantly amplifies the potential impact of the vulnerability, as SYSTEM-level access provides complete control over the affected system.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to industrial automation environments where Inductive Automation Ignition is deployed, as these systems often handle critical infrastructure operations. The fact that exploitation requires only a single user interaction makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where employees may encounter malicious content through email attachments, web browsing, or file downloads. The vulnerability's classification as ZDI-CAN-17115 indicates it was recognized and tracked by the Zero Day Initiative, highlighting its significance in the cybersecurity community. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that ZIP file processing is a common operation in many applications and user workflows.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including updating to patched versions of Inductive Automation Ignition, implementing network segmentation to limit access to affected systems, and deploying web application firewalls to filter malicious content. The vulnerability's impact aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Windows Command Shell execution and T1203 for Exploitation for Client Execution, demonstrating how this flaw can be leveraged to establish persistent access and execute malicious commands. Security teams should also consider implementing strict file validation policies for ZIP archives and monitoring network traffic for suspicious file transfers. The remediation process must include thorough testing of patched versions to ensure that the fix does not introduce regressions in legitimate application functionality while maintaining the security posture against this specific deserialization threat.