CVE-2019-14868 : Security Advisory and Response

A vulnerability was discovered in the ksh version 20120801, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary shell commands by exploiting flawed environment variable evaluation.

Understanding CVE-2019-14868

This CVE involves a vulnerability in the KornShell (ksh) version 20120801 that could be exploited by attackers to execute arbitrary shell commands.

What is CVE-2019-14868?

The flaw in the ksh version 20120801 allows attackers to bypass or overwrite existing environment restrictions, potentially leading to the execution of unauthorized shell commands.

The Impact of CVE-2019-14868

The vulnerability poses a high risk as attackers can exploit it to execute arbitrary shell commands, especially in scenarios with remote, unauthenticated access to services or applications that accept specific environment variables.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-14868

The technical details of the CVE-2019-14868 vulnerability are as follows:

Vulnerability Description

The flaw in the ksh version 20120801 allows attackers to manipulate environment variables to execute unauthorized shell commands.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: KornShell (ksh)
Vendor: KornShell
Version: 20120801

Exploitation Mechanism

Attack Complexity: High
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
CVSS Base Score: 7.4 (High)
CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Mitigation and Prevention

To mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2019-14868, consider the following steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply security updates provided by the vendor
Monitor and restrict access to services accepting environment variables

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement least privilege access controls
Regularly review and update security configurations

Patching and Updates

Update to a patched version of KornShell (ksh) that addresses the vulnerability