Vulnerabilities > CVE-2017-12588 - Use of Externally-Controlled Format String vulnerability in Rsyslog

047910
CVSS 9.8 - CRITICAL
Attack vector
NETWORK
Attack complexity
LOW
Privileges required
NONE
Confidentiality impact
HIGH
Integrity impact
HIGH
Availability impact
HIGH
network
low complexity
rsyslog
CWE-134
critical
nessus
NVD
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2024-11-21

Summary

The zmq3 input and output modules in rsyslog before 8.28.0 interpreted description fields as format strings, possibly allowing a format string attack with unspecified impact.

Vulnerable Configurations

Part Description Count
Application
Rsyslog
423

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

  • Format String Injection
    An attacker includes formatting characters in a string input field on the target application. Most applications assume that users will provide static text and may respond unpredictably to the presence of formatting character. For example, in certain functions of the C programming languages such as printf, the formatting character %s will print the contents of a memory location expecting this location to identify a string and the formatting character %n prints the number of DWORD written in the memory. An attacker can use this to read or write to memory locations or files, or simply to manipulate the value of the resulting text in unexpected ways. Reading or writing memory may result in program crashes and writing memory could result in the execution of arbitrary code if the attacker can write to the program stack.
  • String Format Overflow in syslog()
    This attack targets the format string vulnerabilities in the syslog() function. An attacker would typically inject malicious input in the format string parameter of the syslog function. This is a common problem, and many public vulnerabilities and associated exploits have been posted.

Nessus

  • NASL familyPhotonOS Local Security Checks
    NASL idPHOTONOS_PHSA-2017-0030_RSYSLOG.NASL
    descriptionAn update of the rsyslog package has been released.
    last seen2020-03-17
    modified2019-02-07
    plugin id121726
    published2019-02-07
    reporterThis script is Copyright (C) 2019-2020 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.
    sourcehttps://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/121726
    titlePhoton OS 1.0: Rsyslog PHSA-2017-0030
    code
    #
# (C) Tenable Network Security, Inc.
#


# The descriptive text and package checks in this plugin were
# extracted from VMware Security Advisory PHSA-2017-0030. The text
# itself is copyright (C) VMware, Inc.


include('compat.inc');

if (description)
{
  script_id(121726);
  script_version("1.2");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_modification_date", value:"2019/02/07");

  script_cve_id("CVE-2017-12588");

  script_name(english:"Photon OS 1.0: Rsyslog PHSA-2017-0030");
  script_summary(english:"Checks the rpm output for the updated packages.");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"synopsis", value:
"The remote PhotonOS host is missing multiple security updates.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"description", value:
"An update of the rsyslog package has been released.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://github.com/vmware/photon/wiki/Security-Updates-63.md");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"solution", value:
"Update the affected Linux packages.");
  script_set_cvss_base_vector("CVSS2#AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P");
  script_set_cvss_temporal_vector("CVSS2#E:U/RL:OF/RC:C");
  script_set_cvss3_base_vector("CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H");
  script_set_cvss3_temporal_vector("CVSS:3.0/E:U/RL:O/RC:C");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss_score_source", value:"CVE-2017-12424");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploitability_ease", value:"No known exploits are available");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"vuln_publication_date", value:"2017/08/18");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"patch_publication_date", value:"2017/08/18");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_publication_date", value:"2019/02/07");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_type", value:"local");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:vmware:photonos:rsyslog");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:vmware:photonos:1.0");
  script_end_attributes();

  script_category(ACT_GATHER_INFO);
  script_family(english:"PhotonOS Local Security Checks");

  script_copyright(english:"This script is Copyright (C) 2019-2020 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.");

  script_dependencies("ssh_get_info.nasl");
  script_require_keys("Host/local_checks_enabled", "Host/PhotonOS/release", "Host/PhotonOS/rpm-list");

  exit(0);
}

include("audit.inc");
include("global_settings.inc");
include("rpm.inc");

if (!get_kb_item("Host/local_checks_enabled")) audit(AUDIT_LOCAL_CHECKS_NOT_ENABLED);

release = get_kb_item("Host/PhotonOS/release");
if (isnull(release) || release !~ "^VMware Photon") audit(AUDIT_OS_NOT, "PhotonOS");
if (release !~ "^VMware Photon (?:Linux|OS) 1\.0(\D|$)") audit(AUDIT_OS_NOT, "PhotonOS 1.0");

if (!get_kb_item("Host/PhotonOS/rpm-list")) audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_LIST_MISSING);

cpu = get_kb_item("Host/cpu");
if (isnull(cpu)) audit(AUDIT_UNKNOWN_ARCH);
if ("x86_64" >!< cpu && cpu !~ "^i[3-6]86$") audit(AUDIT_LOCAL_CHECKS_NOT_IMPLEMENTED, "PhotonOS", cpu);

flag = 0;

if (rpm_check(release:"PhotonOS-1.0", reference:"rsyslog-8.15.0-6.ph1")) flag++;
if (rpm_check(release:"PhotonOS-1.0", reference:"rsyslog-debuginfo-8.15.0-6.ph1")) flag++;

if (flag)
{
  security_report_v4(
    port       : 0,
    severity   : SECURITY_HOLE,
    extra      : rpm_report_get()
  );
  exit(0);
}
else
{
  tested = pkg_tests_get();
  if (tested) audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_NOT_AFFECTED, tested);
  else audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_NOT_INSTALLED, "rsyslog");
}
  • NASL familyPhotonOS Local Security Checks
    NASL idPHOTONOS_PHSA-2017-0030.NASL
    descriptionAn update of [rsyslog,shadow] packages for PhotonOS has been released.
    last seen2019-02-08
    modified2019-02-07
    plugin id111879
    published2018-08-17
    reporterTenable
    sourcehttps://www.tenable.com/plugins/index.php?view=single&id=111879
    titlePhoton OS 1.0: Rsyslog / Shadow PHSA-2017-0030 (deprecated)
    code
    #
# (C) Tenable Network Security, Inc.
#
# @DEPRECATED@
#
# Disabled on 2/7/2019
#

# The descriptive text and package checks in this plugin were
# extracted from VMware Security Advisory PHSA-2017-0030. The text
# itself is copyright (C) VMware, Inc.

include("compat.inc");

if (description)
{
  script_id(111879);
  script_version("1.2");
  script_cvs_date("Date: 2019/02/07 18:59:50");

  script_cve_id("CVE-2017-12424", "CVE-2017-12588");

  script_name(english:"Photon OS 1.0: Rsyslog / Shadow PHSA-2017-0030 (deprecated)");
  script_summary(english:"Checks the rpm output for the updated packages.");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"synopsis", value:
"This plugin has been deprecated.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"description", value:
"An update of [rsyslog,shadow] packages for PhotonOS has been released.");
  # https://github.com/vmware/photon/wiki/Security-Updates-63
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"http://www.nessus.org/u?26282c92");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"solution", value:"n/a.");
  script_set_cvss_base_vector("CVSS2#AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P");
  script_set_cvss3_base_vector("CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss_score_source", value:"CVE-2017-12424");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"patch_publication_date", value:"2017/08/18");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_publication_date", value:"2018/08/17");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_type", value:"local");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:vmware:photonos:rsyslog");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:vmware:photonos:shadow");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:vmware:photonos:1.0");
  script_end_attributes();

  script_category(ACT_GATHER_INFO);
  script_family(english:"PhotonOS Local Security Checks");

  script_copyright(english:"This script is Copyright (C) 2018-2019 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.");

  script_dependencies("ssh_get_info.nasl");
  script_require_keys("Host/local_checks_enabled", "Host/PhotonOS/release", "Host/PhotonOS/rpm-list");

  exit(0);
}

exit(0, "This plugin has been deprecated.");

include("audit.inc");
include("global_settings.inc");
include("rpm.inc");

if (!get_kb_item("Host/local_checks_enabled")) audit(AUDIT_LOCAL_CHECKS_NOT_ENABLED);

release = get_kb_item("Host/PhotonOS/release");
if (isnull(release) || release !~ "^VMware Photon") audit(AUDIT_OS_NOT, "PhotonOS");
if (release !~ "^VMware Photon (?:Linux|OS) 1\.0(\D|$)") audit(AUDIT_OS_NOT, "PhotonOS 1.0");

if (!get_kb_item("Host/PhotonOS/rpm-list")) audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_LIST_MISSING);

cpu = get_kb_item("Host/cpu");
if (isnull(cpu)) audit(AUDIT_UNKNOWN_ARCH);
if ("x86_64" >!< cpu && cpu !~ "^i[3-6]86$") audit(AUDIT_LOCAL_CHECKS_NOT_IMPLEMENTED, "PhotonOS", cpu);

flag = 0;

pkgs = [
  "rsyslog-8.15.0-6.ph1",
  "rsyslog-debuginfo-8.15.0-6.ph1",
  "shadow-4.2.1-11.ph1",
  "shadow-debuginfo-4.2.1-11.ph1"
];

foreach (pkg in pkgs)
  if (rpm_check(release:"PhotonOS-1.0", reference:pkg)) flag++;

if (flag)
{
  security_report_v4(
    port       : 0,
    severity   : SECURITY_HOLE,
    extra      : rpm_report_get()
  );
  exit(0);
}
else
{
  tested = pkg_tests_get();
  if (tested) audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_NOT_AFFECTED, tested);
  else audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_NOT_INSTALLED, "rsyslog / shadow");
}

References