CVE-2021-21292 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

A detailed overview of CVE-2021-21292, focusing on the unquoted Windows binary path vulnerability in Traccar.

Understanding CVE-2021-21292

CVE-2021-21292 highlights a critical security issue in Traccar, an open-source GPS tracking system, where versions below 4.12 are vulnerable to an unquoted Windows binary path vulnerability. This vulnerability affects only Windows systems and requires the attacker to have write access to the filesystem on the host machine.

What is CVE-2021-21292?

Traccar, a popular GPS tracking system, suffers from an unquoted Windows binary path vulnerability in versions prior to 4.12. Attackers with write access to the filesystem can exploit this flaw to elevate their privileges to that of the Traccar service.

The Impact of CVE-2021-21292

The impact of CVE-2021-21292 is rated as MEDIUM severity. This vulnerability can lead to a high integrity impact by allowing attackers to escalate their privileges on the system, potentially compromising the security of the affected Windows systems.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-21292

This section delves deeper into the vulnerability description, affected systems and versions, as well as the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from an unquoted Windows binary path in Traccar versions less than 4.12, ensuring that attackers with write access can manipulate the Java path containing spaces to gain unauthorized privileges.

Affected Systems and Versions

Traccar versions below 4.12 running on Windows operating systems are susceptible to this unquoted Windows binary path vulnerability.

Exploitation Mechanism

To exploit CVE-2021-21292, attackers need write access to the host machine's filesystem. By manipulating the Java path with spaces, attackers can raise their privileges to that of the Traccar service.

Mitigation and Prevention

Here we discuss the immediate steps to take, long-term security practices, and the importance of patching and updates.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users and administrators are advised to update Traccar to version 4.12 or newer to mitigate the unquoted Windows binary path vulnerability. Furthermore, restricting filesystem write access can also help prevent exploitation.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implementing the principle of least privilege, regularly monitoring system logs for suspicious activities, and conducting security audits can enhance the overall security posture.

Patching and Updates

Regularly applying security patches and updates provided by Traccar is crucial to keeping the system secure and protected against known vulnerabilities.