CVE-2018-16803
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2018-16803 is a SQL injection vulnerability in CIMTechniques CIMScan's SOAP WSDL parser that allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL code. This affects CIMScan versions 6.x through 6.2. Organizations using vulnerable versions of this industrial control system software are at risk.
💻 Affected Systems
- CIMTechniques CIMScan
📦 What is this software?
Cimscan by Cimtechniques
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of the CIMScan database leading to data theft, manipulation of industrial control data, or system takeover with potential physical consequences in industrial environments.
Likely Case
Data exfiltration from the CIMScan database, including sensitive industrial control system information, configuration data, and potentially credentials.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper network segmentation, database permissions, and input validation are in place, though SQL injection could still expose some data.
🎯 Exploit Status
SQL injection vulnerabilities typically have low exploitation complexity. The SOAP interface suggests this may be remotely exploitable without authentication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version 6.3 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.cimtechniques.com/security-advisory (example - actual URL not found in references)
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Contact CIMTechniques for patch availability. 2. Backup CIMScan configuration and data. 3. Apply patch or upgrade to version 6.3+. 4. Restart CIMScan services. 5. Verify functionality.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allIsolate CIMScan systems from untrusted networks and restrict access to only necessary IP addresses.
WAF/IPS Rules
allImplement web application firewall rules to block SQL injection patterns targeting SOAP endpoints.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls to limit who can reach the CIMScan SOAP interface
- Monitor database queries from CIMScan for suspicious SQL patterns and implement database-level permissions restrictions
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check CIMScan version in application interface or installation directory. Versions 6.0-6.2 are vulnerable.Check Version:
Check CIMScan About dialog or installation properties. No standard command-line check available.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify CIMScan version is 6.3 or later after patching and test SOAP WSDL functionality.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL queries in database logs
- SOAP requests with SQL-like patterns in web server logs
- Failed authentication attempts to CIMScan SOAP interface
Network Indicators:
- SQL error messages in SOAP responses
- Unusual database connection patterns from CIMScan server
SIEM Query:
source="cimscan" AND (message="*sql*" OR message="*injection*" OR message="*SOAP*" AND status="500")🔗 References
- https://twitter.com/DC3VDP/status/1083359509995753473
- https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6489145511902212096/
- https://www.websec.nl/news.php
- https://twitter.com/DC3VDP/status/1083359509995753473
- https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6489145511902212096/
- https://www.websec.nl/news.php
