CVE-2020-14342 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

A vulnerability in cifs-utils' mount.cifs, affecting versions up to 6.11, allows attackers to inject arbitrary commands, potentially escalating privileges.

Understanding CVE-2020-14342

This CVE involves a flaw in the way cifs-utils' mount.cifs handles Samba passwords, enabling command injection.

What is CVE-2020-14342?

The vulnerability in cifs-utils' mount.cifs allows an attacker with special permissions to execute arbitrary commands, leading to potential privilege escalation.

The Impact of CVE-2020-14342

The vulnerability could be exploited by attackers to escalate their privileges by injecting malicious commands through the Samba password request mechanism.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-14342

The technical aspects of the CVE provide insights into the vulnerability's description, affected systems, and exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The flaw in cifs-utils' mount.cifs allows the injection of arbitrary commands during Samba password requests, potentially leading to privilege escalation.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: cifs-utils
Vendor: Samba
Versions Affected: up to 6.11

Exploitation Mechanism

Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality Impact: Low
Integrity Impact: Low
Availability Impact: None

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2020-14342, immediate steps and long-term security practices are essential.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update cifs-utils to a non-vulnerable version.
Restrict sudo rules for invoking mount.cifs.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor and audit sudo rules and permissions.
Implement the principle of least privilege to limit potential attack surfaces.
Educate users on secure password management practices.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by the vendor to fix the vulnerability and enhance system security.