CVE-2018-10245 Scanner

AWStats is a popular statistics reporting application used by web server administrators to analyze visitor data. It is often deployed by hosting providers to offer their clients insights into web traffic. Users leverage AWStats for generating detailed reports on website visits, including visitor counts, referrer data, and search engine queries. The tool is typically employed in environments where understanding user behavior and server performance is crucial. AWStats works by parsing log file entries from supported web servers, including Apache, IIS, and others. This software is commonly used due to its open-source nature and flexibility, allowing for customization according to specific needs.

The vulnerability identified in AWStats pertains to improper handling of specific parameters within the application, which leads to information disclosure. When a crafted request is sent to the application, it can reveal critical path details within the server file system. This vulnerability affects the underlying infrastructure security by enabling attackers to perform reconnaissance. Often, such disclosures cannot be exploited for direct unauthorized access, but they lay the groundwork for further, more intrusive intrusions. Left unaddressed, these vulnerabilities can compromise the secrecy and integrity of server information through predictable patterns of exploitation.

The technical details of this vulnerability revolve around the inadequate validation of 'framename' and 'update' parameters in the AWStats script file, awstats.pl. Specifically, the vulnerability can be exploited by sending a crafted HTTP GET request containing malformed parameters. In response, the server inadvertently reveals directory paths such as "/etc/awstats" and other configurations. Matchers look for HTTP status code 200 and specific phrases in the body that confirm the server's configuration paths. By understanding endpoint interactions, attackers can extract back-end file system structures. This technical vulnerability arises due to oversight in regular expression handling in the affected script.

If exploited, this vulnerability can lead to a cascade of security issues by providing attackers the information needed to target additional vulnerabilities. The most significant effect is the ability to build an attack vector map, which can be used in conjunction with other known vulnerabilities. The disclosed paths could lead to identifying administrative interfaces or sensitive files, further undermining system security. System administrators could also be led into a false sense of security, thinking their systems are patched without considering peripheral information leaks. Over time, this leads to an increased attack surface available to malicious entities.

REFERENCES

• https://github.com/eldy/awstats
• https://awstats.sourceforge.io/