CVE-2019-8159

Vulnerability

Details

CVE-2019-8159 is a remote code execution vulnerability affecting Magento versions 2.2 prior to 2.2.10, and 2.3 prior to 2.3.3 or 2.3.2-p1 [2]. The root cause lies in insufficient input validation, allowing an authenticated user with system data manipulation privileges to perform arbitrary file deletion and inject operating system commands [1]. This chain of operations—deleting critical files and injecting commands—enables arbitrary code execution on the server.

Exploitation

Exploitation requires an authenticated session with specific administrative privileges: the user must have 'system data manipulation' capabilities [2]. The attacker leverages a crafted request that triggers file deletion and then injects OS commands, which are executed in the context of the web server [1]. The exact attack vector is not publicly detailed in the references, but the prerequisite of authentication and elevated privileges limits the attack surface to internal or privileged users.

Impact

Successful exploitation results in full remote code execution on the Magento server [1]. An attacker can execute arbitrary commands, potentially leading to complete compromise of the application and underlying infrastructure. This includes data theft, defacement, malware deployment, or further lateral movement within the network.

Mitigation

Adobe released security updates in Magento 2.2.10, 2.3.2-p1, and 2.3.3 to fix this vulnerability [1][4]. Users should upgrade to these or later versions immediately. No workarounds are documented, and this vulnerability is not known to be exploited in the wild according to the advisory [1]. The Magento 2.1.x branch reached end of life in June 2019 and will not receive this fix [1], so users on that version should migrate to a supported branch.