CVE-2020-8868
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2020-8868 is a critical vulnerability in Quest Foglight Evolve that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code without authentication. The vulnerability exists due to a hard-coded password for the '__service__' user account, enabling attackers to gain SYSTEM-level privileges. All installations of Quest Foglight Evolve 9.0.0 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Quest Foglight Evolve
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with SYSTEM privileges, allowing attackers to install malware, exfiltrate data, pivot to other systems, and maintain persistent access.
Likely Case
Remote code execution leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or creation of backdoors for future attacks.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if network segmentation prevents external access and proper monitoring detects exploitation attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
The hard-coded password makes exploitation trivial once discovered. ZDI-CAN-9553 indicates active research and likely weaponization.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Apply hotfix from Quest support article 315091
Vendor Advisory: https://support.quest.com/foglight/kb/315091/fms-5-9-5-hotfix-hfix-314
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download the hotfix from Quest support article 315091. 2. Stop Foglight Evolve services. 3. Apply the hotfix according to vendor instructions. 4. Restart services. 5. Verify the fix by checking that the hard-coded password is no longer present.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allRestrict network access to Foglight Evolve systems to only trusted administrative networks
Firewall Rules
allBlock external access to Foglight Evolve ports (typically 8080, 8443, and other configured ports)
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Immediately isolate affected systems from internet and untrusted networks
- Implement strict network monitoring and alerting for any access attempts to Foglight Evolve services
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if Foglight Evolve version is 9.0.0 and review configuration for presence of hard-coded '__service__' account credentialsCheck Version:
Check Foglight Evolve administration console or configuration files for version informationVerify Fix Applied:
Verify hotfix installation and confirm that the hard-coded password has been removed/changed📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Failed authentication attempts for '__service__' account
- Unusual process execution from Foglight Evolve service context
- Network connections from Foglight Evolve to unexpected destinations
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected traffic from Foglight Evolve ports to external IPs
- Exploitation attempts targeting Foglight Evolve services
SIEM Query:
source="foglight.log" AND ("__service__" OR "authentication failure" OR "unauthorized access")