CVE-2017-6406 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

A vulnerability has been found in Veritas NetBackup versions prior to 7.7.2 and NetBackup Appliance versions prior to 2.7.2, allowing the execution of arbitrary privileged commands by exploiting a directory escape mechanism.

Understanding CVE-2017-6406

This CVE entry describes a security flaw in Veritas NetBackup and NetBackup Appliance versions.

What is CVE-2017-6406?

This vulnerability enables attackers to execute arbitrary privileged commands by leveraging a directory escape mechanism that whitelists directory access using substrings containing "../".

The Impact of CVE-2017-6406

The exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to unauthorized execution of commands with elevated privileges, posing a significant security risk to affected systems.

Technical Details of CVE-2017-6406

This section provides detailed technical information about the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

An issue in Veritas NetBackup versions before 7.7.2 and NetBackup Appliance versions before 2.7.2 allows for arbitrary privileged command execution through directory escape using "../" substrings.

Affected Systems and Versions

Veritas NetBackup versions prior to 7.7.2
NetBackup Appliance versions prior to 2.7.2

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers exploit the directory escape mechanism that whitelists directory access by inserting substrings containing "../", enabling the execution of unauthorized privileged commands.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2017-6406 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply security patches provided by Veritas for the affected versions.
Monitor system logs for any suspicious activities indicating exploitation attempts.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement the principle of least privilege to restrict unnecessary access rights.
Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and address vulnerabilities proactively.

Patching and Updates

Regularly update and patch Veritas NetBackup and NetBackup Appliance to the latest versions containing security fixes for CVE-2017-6406.