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CVE-2022-28810Zoho ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Patch nowMedium6.8Exploited, CISA due date 2023-03-28EPSS 71%, higher than 99% of scored CVEs

CVE-2022-28810 is a OS command injection in Zoho ManageEngine, rated medium (6.8 on CVSS 3.1).

Why this priority: Exploited in the wild: listed in CISA's KEV catalog.

Published · Updated · NVD status: Analyzed

What it is

Input reaches an operating-system command line, letting an attacker run their own commands on the host. Credentials are built into the product, so anyone who knows them can sign in to every install.

How it is reached

An attacker can exploit it over the network, with an administrator account, but someone has to act first, such as opening a file or following a link.

What an attacker gains

A successful attack can read the data it protects, change data or behaviour and take it offline. In practice, this kind of flaw lets an attacker run commands or code with the privileges of the affected service.

Is it being exploited?

CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2023-03-07: it is being exploited in the wild. EPSS estimates a 71% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 99% of scored CVEs.

What to do

  1. Treat it as urgent: it is on CISA's KEV list. CISA's deadline for US federal agencies: 2023-03-28.
  2. Apply the fix for Zoho ManageEngine: the patch and release notes are linked below.
  3. Until it is patched, review who holds accounts that can reach it.
  4. Warn the people who use it, and filter files and links on the way in.
  5. Check exposed instances for signs of compromise, not only for the version.

Description from NVD

Zoho ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus before build 6122 allows a remote authenticated administrator to execute arbitrary operating OS commands as SYSTEM via the policy custom script feature. Due to the use of a default administrator password, attackers may be able to abuse this functionality with minimal effort. Additionally, a remote and partially authenticated attacker may be able to inject arbitrary commands into the custom script due to an unsanitized password field.

What this means for your architecture.

A CVE names a product. Whether it matters depends on where that product sits in your systems: what reaches it, which trust boundary it guards and what it can reach once compromised. Veriom maps your components, their relationships and your trust boundaries from your code, cloud and delivery evidence, so you can see where a component like this sits. The radar itself does not look at your systems.

Components it touches

  • Application servers and the hosts they run on. The flaw sits between untrusted input and code or command execution.
  • Template engines. The flaw sits between untrusted input and code or command execution.
  • Credentials kept in code, configuration, images or firmware. The flaw sits between a stored secret and anyone who can read where it is kept.

Trust boundaries in play

  • Authenticated network access. An account is needed, so exposure follows who can sign in: customers, partners or staff.
  • People who open files and links. Mail, chat and browsers are the delivery path.
  • Between untrusted input and code or command execution. An attacker who crosses it can run commands or code with the privileges of the affected service.
  • Between a stored secret and anyone who can read where it is kept. An attacker who crosses it can sign in with credentials the vendor shipped or stored unprotected.

Questions to answer about your own systems

  • Where does Zoho ManageEngine run in your systems, and at which version?
  • Which of those instances can be reached from the internet or partner networks?
  • What can it reach once compromised: which data stores, secrets and services?

Sources

  • CVE records and CVSS scores from the NVD CVE API. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
  • Exploitation status from CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
  • Exploit likelihood from FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), refreshed daily.
  • Explanations are written by Veriom from fixed templates over each record’s data, not by a person reviewing each CVE. Descriptions are quoted from the records as published.