CVE-2018-15616
📋 TL;DR
A remote code execution vulnerability in Avaya Aura System Platform's Web UI allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code through deserialization attacks. This affects Avaya Aura System Platform versions 6.3.0-6.3.9 and 6.4.0-6.4.2. Attackers can gain full control of affected systems without authentication.
💻 Affected Systems
- Avaya Aura System Platform
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining root/admin privileges, installing persistent backdoors, pivoting to internal networks, and exfiltrating sensitive data.
Likely Case
Remote code execution leading to system takeover, credential theft, and lateral movement within the network.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if system is isolated behind firewalls with strict network controls and intrusion detection systems.
🎯 Exploit Status
Deserialization vulnerabilities are commonly exploited with publicly available tools and payloads.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 6.3.10 or 6.4.3 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://downloads.avaya.com/css/P8/documents/101052865
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download the patch from Avaya support portal. 2. Backup current configuration. 3. Apply the patch following Avaya's installation guide. 4. Restart the System Platform services. 5. Verify the update was successful.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Isolation
linuxRestrict access to the Web UI interface using firewall rules
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s trusted_ip -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP
Disable Web UI
linuxTemporarily disable the vulnerable Web UI component if not required
systemctl stop avaya-webui
systemctl disable avaya-webui
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation and firewall rules to limit access to the Web UI
- Deploy web application firewall (WAF) with deserialization attack detection rules
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check System Platform version via admin interface or SSH: cat /etc/avaya-releaseCheck Version:
cat /etc/avaya-releaseVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 6.3.10+ or 6.4.3+ and test Web UI functionality📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual deserialization errors in Web UI logs
- Unexpected process execution from Web UI service
- Failed authentication attempts followed by successful requests
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from System Platform
- HTTP requests with serialized objects to Web UI endpoints
- Traffic to known exploit frameworks
SIEM Query:
source="avaya-webui" AND (event="deserialization" OR event="unexpected_object")