CAPEC-38: Leveraging/Manipulating Configuration File Search Paths
This pattern of attack sees an adversary load a malicious resource into a program's standard path so that when a known command is executed then the system instead executes the malicious component. The adversary can either modify the search path a program uses, like a PATH variable or classpath, or they can manipulate resources on the path to point to their malicious components. J2EE applications and other component based applications that are built from multiple binaries can have very long list of dependencies to execute. If one of these libraries and/or references is controllable by the attacker then application controls can be circumvented by the attacker.
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Overview
CAPEC-38 (Leveraging/Manipulating Configuration File Search Paths) is a detailed-level attack pattern catalogued by MITRE in the Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC). It describes a recurring method attackers use to exploit software weaknesses.
What the attacker needs
Prerequisites
- The attacker must be able to write to redirect search paths on the victim host.
Skills required
- Low skill: To identify and execute against an over-privileged system interface
Consequences
What a successful CAPEC-38 attack can achieve.
Execute Unauthorized Commands
Affects: Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability
Run Arbitrary Code
Gain Privileges
Affects: Confidentiality, Access Control, Authorization
How to mitigate it
Defenses that reduce the risk of CAPEC-38.
- Design: Enforce principle of least privilege
- Design: Ensure that the program's compound parts, including all system dependencies, classpath, path, and so on, are secured to the same or higher level assurance as the program
- Implementation: Host integrity monitoring
Examples
Another method is to redirect commands by aliasing one legitimate command to another to create unexpected results. the Unix command "rm" could be aliased to "mv" and move all files the victim thinks they are deleting to a directory the attacker controls. In a Unix shell .profile setting alias rm=mv /usr/home/attacker In this case the attacker retains a copy of all the files the victim attempts to remove.
A standard UNIX path looks similar to this /bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin If the attacker modifies the path variable to point to a locale that includes malicious resources then the user unwittingly can execute commands on the attackers' behalf: /evildir/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin This is a form of usurping control of the program and the attack can be done on the classpath, database resources, or any other resources built from compound parts. At runtime detection and blocking of this attack is nearly impossible, because the configuration allows execution.
Terminology & mappings
Mapped taxonomies
- ATTACK: Hijack Execution Flow: Path Interception by PATH Environment Variable (1574.007)
- ATTACK: Hijack Execution Flow: Path Interception by Unquoted Path (1574.009)
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about CAPEC-38.
- What is CAPEC-38?
- This pattern of attack sees an adversary load a malicious resource into a program's standard path so that when a known command is executed then the system instead executes the malicious component. The adversary can either modify the search path a program uses, like a PATH variable or classpath, or they can manipulate resources on the path to point to their malicious components. J2EE applications and other component based applications that are built from multiple binaries can have very long list of dependencies to execute. If one of these libraries and/or references is controllable by the attacker then application controls can be circumvented by the attacker.
- How do you prevent CAPEC-38?
- Design: Enforce principle of least privilege
- What weaknesses does CAPEC-38 target?
- CAPEC-38 exploits 2 CWE weaknesses, including CWE-426 (Untrusted Search Path), CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element).
- How severe is CAPEC-38?
- MITRE rates CAPEC-38 as Very High severity with high likelihood of attack.
References
Attack-pattern data is sourced from the MITRE CAPEC catalog (v3.9). Weakness associations link to the corresponding CWE entries on RadicalNotion.AI.
Defend against CAPEC-38
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