Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance

# ICS Advisory (ICSA-19-183-02) ## Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance Original release date: July 02, 2019 [Print Document](javascript:window.print\(\);) [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fus- cert.cisa.gov%2Fics%2Fadvisories%2Ficsa-19-183-02) [Like Me](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fus- cert.cisa.gov%2Fics%2Fadvisories%2Ficsa-19-183-02) [Share](http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?url=https%3A%2F%2Fus- cert.cisa.gov%2Fics%2Fadvisories%2Ficsa-19-183-02) ### Legal Notice All information products included in [https://us-cert.gov/ics](/ics) are provided "as is" for informational purposes only. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not provide any warranties of any kind regarding any information contained within. DHS does not endorse any commercial product or service, referenced in this product or otherwise. Further dissemination of this product is governed by the Traffic Light Protocol (TLP) marking in the header. For more information about TLP, see [https://www.us- cert.gov/tlp/](/tlp/). * * * ## 1\. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY * **CVSS v3 2.7** * **ATTENTION** : Exploitable remotely/low skill level to exploit * **Vendor** : Quest * **Equipment** : KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) * **Vulnerability** : Improper Input Validation ## 2\. RISK EVALUATION Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an administrative user unintentional access to the underlying operating system of the device. ## 3\. TECHNICAL DETAILS ### 3.1 AFFECTED PRODUCTS The following versions of KACE Systems Management Appliance are affected: * KACE SMA: All versions 8.0.x * KACE SMA: All versions 8.1.x * KACE SMA: All versions 9.0.x ### 3.2 VULNERABILITY OVERVIEW **3.2.1 [IMPROPER INPUT VALIDATION CWE-20](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/20.html)** The vulnerability allows unintentional access to the appliance leveraging functions of the troubleshooting tools located in the administrator user interface. [CVE-2019-10973 ](http://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2019-10973)has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 2.7 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is ([AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N](https://www.first.org/cvss/calculator/3.0#CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N)). ### 3.3 BACKGROUND * **CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SECTORS** : Information Technology * **COUNTRIES/AREAS DEPLOYED** : Worldwide * **COMPANY HEADQUARTERS LOCATION** : Canada ### 3.4 RESEARCHER Juan Pablo Lopez Yacubian reported this vulnerability to NCCIC. ## 4\. MITIGATIONS Quest recommends affected users upgrade to Version 9.1 or newer, which can be downloaded from the Quest support portal at the following link: [https://support.quest.com/kace-systems-management-appliance/9.1/download-new- releases.](https://support.quest.com/kace-systems-management- appliance/9.1/download-new-releases) NCCIC recommends users take defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of this vulnerability. Specifically, users should: * Restrict system access to authorized personnel only and follow a least privilege approach. * Minimize network exposure for all control system devices and/or systems, and ensure that they are [not accessible from the Internet](https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/alerts/ICS-ALERT-10-301-01). * Locate control system networks and remote devices behind firewalls, and isolate them from the business network. * When remote access is required, use secure methods, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), recognizing that VPNs may have vulnerabilities and should be updated to the most current version available. Also recognize that VPN is only as secure as the connected devices. NCCIC reminds organizations to perform proper impact analysis and risk assessment prior to deploying defensive measures. NCCIC provides a section for [control systems security recommended practices](https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/content/recommended-practices) on the ICS-CERT web page. Several recommended practices are available for reading and download, including [Improving Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity with Defense-in-Depth Strategies](https://ics-cert.us- cert.gov/sites/default/files/recommended_practices/NCCIC_ICS- CERT_Defense_in_Depth_2016_S508C.pdf). Additional mitigation guidance and recommended practices are publicly available on the [ICS-CERT website](https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/) in the Technical Information Paper, [ICS-TIP-12-146-01B--Targeted Cyber Intrusion Detection and Mitigation Strategies](https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/tips/ICS- TIP-12-146-01B). Organizations observing any suspected malicious activity should follow their established internal procedures and report their findings to NCCIC for tracking and correlation against other incidents. NCCIC also recommends that users take the following measures to protect themselves from social engineering attacks: * Do not click web links or open unsolicited attachments in email messages. * Refer to [Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams ](https://www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/emailscams_0905.pdf)for more information on avoiding email scams. * Refer to [Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks ](https://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST04-014.html)for more information on social engineering attacks. No known public exploits specifically target this vulnerability.