1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CVSS v3 10.0
ATTENTION: Exploitable remotely/low attack complexity/public exploits are available
Vendor: Nice
Equipment: Linear eMerge E3-Series
Vulnerabilities: Path traversal, Cross-site scripting, OS command injection, Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type, Incorrect Authorization, Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Authorized Actor, Insufficiently Protected Credentials, Use of Hard-coded Credentials, Cross-site Request Forgery, Out-of-bounds Write

2. RISK EVALUATION

Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow a remote attacker to gain full system access.

3. TECHNICAL DETAILS

3.1 AFFECTED PRODUCTS

The following versions of Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series are affected:

Linear eMerge E3-Series: versions 1.00-06 and prior

3.2 Vulnerability Overview

3.2.1 IMPROPER LIMITATION OF A PATHNAME TO A RESTRICTED DIRECTORY (‘PATH TRAVERSAL’) CWE-22

Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series versions 1.00-06 and prior are vulnerable to path traversal. This could allow an attacker to gain unauthorized access to the system and sensitive data.

CVE-2019-7253 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

3.2.2 IMPROPER LIMITATION OF A PATHNAME TO A RESTRICTED DIRECTORY (‘PATH TRAVERSAL’) CWE-22

Versions of Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series firmware 1.00-06 and prior are vulnerable to a file inclusion through path traversal, which could give the attacker access to sensitive information.

CVE-2019-7254 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 7.5 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

3.2.3 IMPROPER NEUTRALIZATION OF INPUT DURING WEB PAGE GENERATION (‘CROSS-SITE SCRIPTING’) CWE-79

Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series versions 1.00-06 and prior are vulnerable to cross-site scripting, which could allow an attacker to obtain and alter some information on the system.

CVE-2019-7255 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 6.1 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

3.2.4 IMPROPER NEUTRALIZATION OF SPECIAL ELEMENTS USED IN AN OS COMMAND (‘OS COMMAND INJECTION’) CWE-78

Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series versions 1.00-06 and prior are vulnerable to OS command injection, which could allow an attacker to cause remote code execution.

CVE-2019-7256 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 10.0 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

3.2.5 UNRESTRICTED UPLOAD OF FILE WITH DANGEROUS TYPE CWE-434

Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series versions 1.00-06 and prior are vulnerable to unrestricted upload of malicious files, which could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code.

CVE-2019-7257 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 10.0 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

3.2.6 INCORRECT AUTHORIZATION CWE-863

Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series versions 1.00-06 and prior suffer from an authorization mechanism vulnerability. This could allow an attacker to escalate privileges and gain full control of the system.

CVE-2019-7258 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 8.8 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

3.2.7 EXPOSURE OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION TO AN UNAUTHORIZED ACTOR CWE-200

An authorization bypass occurs in Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series versions 1.00-06 and prior when an authenticated attacker visits a specific GET request against the target, resulting in disclosure of administrative credentials in clear-text. This allows the attacker to re-login with admin privileges and have full access to the control interface.

CVE-2019-7259 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 8.8 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

3.2.8 INSUFFICIENTLY PROTECTED CREDENTIALS CWE-522

The application of Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series versions 1.00-06 and prior stores passwords in clear-text in its DBMS system. Storing a password in plaintext may result in a system compromise.

CVE-2019-7260 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

3.2.9 USE OF HARD-CODED CREDENTIALS CWE-798

Hard-coded credentials are present in multiple binaries bundled in the Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series versions 1.00-06 and prior firmware OS. These hard-coded credentials typically create a significant hole that could allow an attacker to bypass the authentication configured by the software administrator.

CVE-2019-7261 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

3.2.10 USE OF HARD-CODED CREDENTIALS CWE-798

The Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series versions 1.00-06 and prior access control platform has SSH enabled with hardcoded credentials for the root account. This could allow an unauthenticated attacker to initiate a secure connection with highest privileges (root) and gain full system access.

CVE-2019-7265 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

3.2.11 CROSS-SITE REQUEST FORGERY (CSRF) CWE-352

The application of Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series versions 1.00-06 and prior allows users to perform certain actions via HTTP requests without performing any validity checks to verify the requests. An attacker could exploit this to perform certain actions with administrative privileges if a logged-in user visits a malicious web site.

CVE-2019-7262 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 8.8 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

3.2.12 OUT-OF-BOUNDS WRITE CWE-787

A stack-based buffer overflow exists, affecting several CGI binaries of Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series versions 1.00-06 and prior. The vulnerability is caused due to a boundary error in the processing of a user input, which an attacker could exploit to cause a buffer overflow. Successful exploitation could allow execution of arbitrary code on the affected device.

CVE-2019-7264 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

3.3 BACKGROUND

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SECTORS: Commercial Facilities
COUNTRIES/AREAS DEPLOYED: Worldwide
COMPANY HEADQUARTERS LOCATION: Italy

3.4 RESEARCHER

Gjoko Krstic from Zero Science Lab reported these vulnerabilities to CISA.

4. MITIGATIONS

Nice/Nortek encourages users to upgrade to the latest firmware to mitigate the risk of these vulnerabilities. Please see Nice’s E3-Bulletin for more information.

Nice also recommends the following defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of these vulnerabilities:

Minimize network exposure of devices, ensuring they are not accessible from the internet.
Place the devices behind firewalls and isolate them from other networks.
When remote access is required, use secure methods, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). Keep your VPNs as updated as possible.
Change default credentials on the device.
Change the default IP address of the device.

See Nice’s Telephone Entry Bulletin for additional information.

Users should contact Nice with any questions.

CISA reminds organizations to perform proper impact analysis and risk assessment prior to deploying defensive measures.

CISA also provides a section for control systems security recommended practices on the ICS webpage on cisa.gov/ics. Several CISA products detailing cyber defense best practices are available for reading and download, including Improving Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity with Defense-in-Depth Strategies.

CISA encourages organizations to implement recommended cybersecurity strategies for proactive defense of ICS assets.

Additional mitigation guidance and recommended practices are publicly available on the ICS webpage at cisa.gov/ics in the technical information paper, ICS-TIP-12-146-01B–Targeted Cyber Intrusion Detection and Mitigation Strategies.

Organizations observing suspected malicious activity should follow established internal procedures and report findings to CISA for tracking and correlation against other incidents.

5. UPDATE HISTORY

March 5, 2024: Initial Publication