CVE-2020-11886 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

OpenNMS Horizon and Meridian are affected by an HQL Injection vulnerability in element/nodeList.htm, allowing attackers to exploit the NodeListController. This impacts Horizon versions before 25.2.1, Meridian 2019 versions before 2019.1.4, Meridian 2018 versions before 2018.1.16, and Meridian 2017 versions before 2017.1.21.

Understanding CVE-2020-11886

This CVE identifies a security flaw in OpenNMS Horizon and Meridian that enables HQL Injection through specific parameters.

What is CVE-2020-11886?

The vulnerability in OpenNMS Horizon and Meridian permits HQL Injection via snmpParm or snmpParmValue to addCriteriaForSnmpParm in element/nodeList.htm.

The Impact of CVE-2020-11886

The exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access, data manipulation, and potentially complete system compromise.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-11886

OpenNMS Horizon and Meridian are susceptible to HQL Injection due to improper input validation.

Vulnerability Description

The flaw allows malicious actors to inject HQL queries through specific parameters, compromising the NodeListController.

Affected Systems and Versions

OpenNMS Horizon versions before 25.2.1
OpenNMS Meridian 2019 versions before 2019.1.4
OpenNMS Meridian 2018 versions before 2018.1.16
OpenNMS Meridian 2017 versions before 2017.1.21

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by manipulating snmpParm or snmpParmValue parameters to execute malicious HQL queries.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2020-11886, follow these steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Update OpenNMS Horizon to version 25.2.1 or later.
Update OpenNMS Meridian 2019 to version 2019.1.4 or later.
Update OpenNMS Meridian 2018 to version 2018.1.16 or later.
Update OpenNMS Meridian 2017 to version 2017.1.21 or later.
Implement input validation to sanitize user inputs.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor and audit system logs for suspicious activities.
Conduct security training for developers on secure coding practices.

Patching and Updates

Apply security patches promptly to mitigate known vulnerabilities.