Layer Seven Security

SolMan-SIEM Integration for Advanced Threat Detection

Layer Seven on August 26, 2018

SAP Solution Manager monitors real-time event information in SAP logs to automatically detect and trigger alerts for specific Indicators of Compromise (IOCs).  This includes events written to the security audit log, system log, gateway server log, change document log, HTTP log, transaction log, SAProuter log, Java security log and the HANA audit log. Alerts are managed in the Alert Inbox or the System Monitoring app of SAP Solution Manager and automatic email and SMS notifications are triggered for critical incidents. Alerts are integrated with Guided Procedures to support an end-to-end process for incident detection and response within Solution Manager.

The data collection for event monitoring using Solution Manager is performed using existing RFC connections and Diagnostics Agents installed in managed systems. Since Diagnostics Agents can be installed in both SAP and non-SAP systems and components, Solution Manager can perform many of the functions of a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system. SolMan can monitor across the technology stack including database, operating system, and application layers, as well as network components such as routers, switches and firewalls. These areas are often monitored by organizations using existing SIEM platforms. Therefore, SolMan is more commonly used for application-level monitoring.

SIEM platforms support direct monitoring of SAP log files, tables and other data sources. However, there are several drawbacks with this approach. One of the drawbacks is that each data source within every target system must be connected separately to SIEM platforms. This increases deployment times and complexities. Once connected, rules and patterns must be defined in the platforms for every possible event. Also, since SIEM platforms are ingesting raw logs, the cost of monitoring and storing mammoth-sized logs for multiple SAP systems can be prohibitive, especially for large landscapes.

SAP Solution Manager overcomes these drawbacks by parsing log files and tables and filtering events before forwarding alerts to SIEM platforms. This enables the platforms to avoid ingesting raw logs to monitor SAP event information. Since the event data forwarded to SIEM platforms is derived from a single source for all SAP systems in a landscape, deployment is also faster and less complex. Finally, Solution Manager structures and enriches the event data before it reaches SIEM platforms to reduce the need to develop rules and patterns to interpret SAP event information.

Solution Manager can integrate with SIEM platforms through several ways. The most common is using OS commands that are called by SolMan to write event data to external files that are ingested by SIEM solutions. Alerts are written to external files as soon as they are triggered by SolMan. Alert fields can include the alert name, description, priority, date, time, SAP System ID, and other areas.

This process integrates alerts for IOCs and other security risks detected by SolMan for SAP applications with SIEM systems for centralized monitoring and cross-platform correlation. The example below is for Splunk Enterprise. Click on the images below to enlarge.

SAP Security Notes, July 2018

Zarah on August 7, 2018

Notes 2017041 and 2016974 patch high-risk information disclosure vulnerabilities in SAP Environment, Health & Safety Management (EHSM). The vulnerabilities could be exploited to leak sensitive information stored or processed by the transactional Fiori apps Inspect Safety Controls and Retrieve Safety Information. The apps support the performance and tracking of safety control inspections.

Note 2641674 provides corrections to support virus scanning for OData v2 connections in the SAP Gateway using the SAP Virus Scan Interface (VSI). This will protect against the insertion of untrusted files and malware.

Note 2597913 includes a kernel patch to remove a Denial of Service vulnerability in the SAP Gateway that could enable attackers to provoke resource exhaustion  by flooding specific services. The relatively low CVSS score for the note is misleading. Exploitation of the vulnerability requires network-level access only and does not require any privileges in the system. Furthermore, the impact in terms of system availability is high.

Note 2622434 removes passwords in route strings that are forwarded from one SAProuter to another. Route strings define permitted connections, users and services between hosts. The leakage of passwords could lead to targeted attacks against the SAProuter.

Finally, Note 2664767 removes the logging of sensitive data in logs for SAP Dynamic Authorization Management (DAM) by NextLabs. DAM supports attribte or policy-bsed control to manage user privileges.

DHS Issues Warning for Cyber Attacks Targeting SAP Applications

Layer Seven on July 26, 2018

The United States Department of Homeland Security issued a warning this week for malicious cyber activity targeting ERP applications including SAP. The warning is based on the findings of a recent report issued by Digital Shadows. The report discusses the dramatic rise in cyber attacks on widely used ERP applications. The report echoes the findings of an earlier study by Gartner that predicted a growth in attacks targeted at business applications.

The findings of the report are summarized below.

– The number of publicly available exploits for SAP applications has doubled in the past three years and there has been a 160% increase in the activity and interest in ERP-specific vulnerabilities between 2016-17

– Hacktivist groups are actively attacking ERP applications to disrupt critical business operations and penetrate target organizations

– Cybercriminals have evolved malware to target internal, “behind-the-firewall” ERP applications

– Nation-state sponsored actors have targeted ERP applications for cyber espionage and sabotage

– There has been a dramatic increase in the interest in exploits for SAP applications, including SAP HANA, in dark web and cybercriminal forums

– Attacks vectors are evolving, still mainly leveraging known ERP vulnerabilities vs. zero-days

– Cloud, mobile and digital transformations are rapidly expanding the ERP attack surface, and threat actors are taking advantage.

– Leaked information by third parties and employees can expose internal ERP applications.

In response, the report recommends the following actions to protect SAP applications from cyber attack.

– Identify and mitigate ERP application layer vulnerabilities, insecure configurations and excessive user privileges

–  Identify and remove dangerous interfaces and APIs between the different ERP applications in the organization, especially those with third parties and that are internet-facing

–  Monitor and respond to sensitive ERP user activity and ERP-specific indicators of compromise

–  Monitor for leaked ERP data and user credentials

The recommended actions can be applied using SAP Solution Manager. System and user-level vulnerabilities can be identified using Service Level Reporting and Dashboards in Solution Manager. System Recommendations can be used to discover and apply security patches. Vulnerable cross-system connections including external connections can be discovered and monitored using Interface and Connection Monitoring (ICMon). The Monitoring and Alerting Infrastructure (MAI) in Solution Manager can be used to monitor SAP logs to detect indicators of compromise including the leakage of sensitive data. Finally, the Guided Procedure Framework provides a platform for incident response using standard operating procedures for alert investigation.

SAP Security Notes, June 2018

Zarah on July 7, 2018

Hot News Note 2622660 includes critical security updates for web browser controls delivered with SAP Business Client. The Client provides a unified environment for SAP applications including Fiori, SAP GUI, and Web Dynpro.  It supports browser controls from Internet Explorer (IE) and Chrome for displaying HTML content. Security corrections for the WebBrowser control of the .NET framework in IE are delivered directly by Microsoft. Unlike IE, the browser control for Chrome is embedded in SAP Business Client using the open source Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF). Security fixes are provided by the Chromium project and delivered by SAP through periodic Security Notes.  Note 2622660 was updated in June for corrections addressed by Chromium release 67.0.3396. The critical rating of the note is due to the fact that the highest CVSS rating of the security corrections bundled in the fixes is 9.8/10.

Note 2537150 was also re-released with updated support pack information. The Note includes corrections to automatically terminate active sessions for users whose passwords have been changed in SAP BusinessObjects.

Notes 2629535 and 2626762 patch high-risk vulnerabilities in open-source components bundled in SAP Internet Sales. The vulnerabilities could be exploited to provoke a denial of service or bypass authentication and authorization controls. SAP Internet Sales is often tightly integrated with back-end SAP systems for order fulfillment and processing.

Finally, there were several important notes released for SAP Solution Manager. Note 2546807 provides manual instructions for successfully connecting agents for Wily Introscope to managed systems. Introscope is included in Solution Manager to support diagnostics and monitoring.  Note 2574394 includes steps for authenticating and encrypting connections from Solution Manager to Diagnostics Agents using TLS. Instructions for securing connections from Diagnostics Agents to Solution Manager are available in Note 2593479.

U.S Treasury Sanctions ERPScan

Layer Seven on June 14, 2018

Earlier this week, the United States Treasury issued an Executive Order to prohibit U.S organizations from engaging with ERPScan, a subsidiary of Digital Security and a provider of security software and services for SAP systems. According to a press release issued by the Treasury, Digital Security “provided material and technological support to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB)” and contributed to efforts to “increase Russia’s offensive cyber capabilities for the Russian Intelligence Services”. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin stated that the Executive Order is driven by the need to “counter the constantly evolving threats emanating from Russia”.

ERPScan has denied any link with the FSB in an official statement. Further, it stated that “it is unfortunate that American companies will not have a competitive market in the ERP Security field, turning our main US competitor into a monopolist without any incentive to innovate.”

There are several competitors in the ERP security market within the United States. Therefore, the withdrawal of ERPScan is unlikely to lead to a monopoly in the market. Furthermore, the solution providers in the market have demonstrated a universal commitment to innovation including advances such as Data Loss Prevention using SAP Solution Manager recently announced by Layer Seven Security. There is no reason to believe that the Executive Order will diminish the level of innovation in the market.

However, the Executive Order has highlighted the risk to SAP customers arising from the dependence on third party security tools for SAP security monitoring. Layer Seven Security is the only solution provider in the market that eliminates this risk by leveraging SAP Solution Manager to protect SAP systems from cyber threats. Solution Manager is supported and maintained directly by SAP. Contact Layer Seven Security to discuss these and other benefits of SAP cybersecurity monitoring with Solution Manager.

Top Five Tips for System Recommendations

Layer Seven on June 12, 2018

System Recommendations in SAP Solution Manager connects directly to SAP Support for real-time patch updates. It also connects to each system within SAP landscapes to monitor patch levels. SysRec downloads corrections for security vulnerabilities from SAP Support to each system and integrates with other areas in Solution Manager for change impact analysis, change management, and test management. SAP customers can therefore discover unapplied patches, bundle patches into change requests, and plan and execute test plans for patch cycles from a single integrated platform.

This article provides suggestions for optimizing System Recommendations to improve the performance of the application and the user experience. The tips will enable you to minimize false positives, identify and troubleshoot errors, and personalize the user interface.

System Recommendations reads the Landscape Management Database (LMDB) to determine the version and support pack levels for installed software components in each system. Therefore, the LMDB should be configured correctly, regularly updated and synchronized with the System Landscape Directory (SLD). This will reduce the likelihood of false positives such as the display of notes for irrelevant components, databases and operating systems. Kernel registration in the SLD will also help to minimize false positives. Alternatively, irrelevant components can be set to inactive in the customizing table AGSSR_OSDB to exclude them from the results returned by SysRec.

The background job SM:SYSTEM RECOMMENDATIONS periodically updates System Recommendations by connecting to SAP support and to managed systems to calculate unapplied notes. Processing errors for the object ASG_SR should be monitored using the Application Log (transaction SLG1). Alerts for job errors including automatic email notifications should be configured using Business Process Monitoring (BPMon) in Solution Manager.

System Recommendations excludes notes that are irrelevant, postponed or discontinued.  Therefore, it displays results for notes that have the implementation status New or New version available. Since the available status options don’t include options for notes with manual corrections that have been implemented, a custom status option for such notes should be configured by maintaining table AGSSR_STATUS. This can be performed using transaction SM30. Customers can also create custom status options to group notes by patch cycle, project or other criteria. In the example below, we’ve assigned a group of notes to the custom status group Q3 2018 and filtered the results to list the notes assigned to the group.

Status changes performed by users for notes are logged by System Recommendations. The changes are tracked in the details section for each note.  This section also tracks comments entered by users for notes. Comments are useful for tracking discussions between users that could impact implementation decisions including the approach, rationale, and timeline for applying security patches. Changes and comments entered by users can be viewed in table AGSSR_SYSNOTEC.

Finally, Fiori tiles can be configured in SysRec to create shortcuts for notes for specific systems, groups, and other variables. The tiles are accessed from the Fiori Launchpad and can be assigned to custom or standard groups. Once saved to the Launchpad, the results for each tile are automatically updated by System Recommendations.

SAP Security Notes, May 2018

Zarah on June 7, 2018

SAP released an update for Hot News Note 2357141 which addresses a critical OS command injection vulnerability in the terminology export report program of  SAPterm (transaction STERM). STERM is used to search SAP-delivered terminology and create and maintain customer-specific terminology. TERM_EXCEL_EXPORT is a standard executable program that enables users to export terminology repositories to Excel. The program calls function modules that accept unfiltered user commands in expressions that are used to call systems. This could be abused by attackers perform arbitrary operating system commands using the elevated privileges of the <sid>adm user.  The impact of such an exploit could include compromise of the entire SAP file system in the effected host. This explains the high CVSS base score of 9.1 / 10 for Note 23557141. The Note rates high in terms of the impact to information confidentiality, integrity and availability. Systems with SAP_BASIS versions 7.31 – 7.66 should be patched to the relevant Support Package level listed in the Note.

There was also an important update for Note 2622660 which includes critical security updates for web browser controls delivered with SAP Business Client. The Client provides a unified environment for SAP applications including Fiori, SAP GUI, and Web Dynpro.  It supports browser controls from Internet Explorer (IE) and Chrome for displaying HTML content. Security corrections for the WebBrowser control of the .NET framework in IE are delivered directly by Microsoft.

Unlike IE, the browser control for Chrome is embedded in SAP Business Client using the open source Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF). Security fixes are provided by the Chromium project and delivered by SAP through periodic Security Notes.  Note 2622660 includes corrections addressed by Chromium releases 64 and 65. The critical rating of the note is due to the fact that the highest CVSS rating of the security corrections bundled in the fixes is 9.8/10.

Finally, Note 2537150 was re-released with updated support pack information. The Note includes corrections to automatically terminate active sessions for users whose  passwords have been changed in BusinessObjects.

Monitoring the SAProuter with SAP Solution Manager

Layer Seven on May 18, 2018

The SAProuter performs a pivotal role in SAP landscapes by filtering SAP traffic using a more granular approach than is possible with conventional network-level firewalls. As a stand-alone program, it is commonly installed in DMZ servers that support network services rather than SAP applications.

The SAProuter is often targeted by attackers given it’s function as the gateway to SAP systems. There are several attack vectors targeting known vulnerabilities in earlier versions of the program. Therefore, it’s important to regularly update the SAProuter to the latest release and patch level. You can refer to note 1897597 for release information and note 1921693 for instructions for updating the program. Other recommendations include changing the well-known default port and blocking remote access to the SAProuter. This could be abused to control the SAProuter from external clients or hosts. It can also be exploited to modify the route permission table.

The route permission table is maintained in the saprouttab file stored in the working directory of the SAProuter and controls route strings between hosts.  It applies an access control list to permit or reject connections between source and target systems through the SAProuter. Standard entries in the route permission table have the syntax P (Permit) /S (Secure) /D (Deny) <source-host> <destination-host> <destination-port or service> <password>. The password option for permitted connections is optional.

The access control list should be as restrictive as possible and only permit the necessary connections. Wildcards (*) should not be used in the destination host and port fields. The rule D * * * * should be included as the last entry in the list to explicitly deny all connections that are not defined in the route permission table.

Lastly, the access list should be configured to support only authenticated and encrypted connections using the K prefix for positive entries. This requires the configuration of Secure Network Communications (SNC) for the SAProuter. For detailed instructions, refer to the SAP guide for SAProuter SNC Configuration.

The SAProuter can be monitored with SAP Solution Manager. The Solution Manager Diagnostics (SMD) agent should be installed on the server hosting the SAProuter. The Remote OS Script Collector (ROSCC) is also required to run OS commands through the Monitoring and Alerting Infrastructure (MAI) of Solution Manager. The next steps are the registration of the SAProuter in Solution Manager and the execution of the steps for managed system setup. Once completed, the SAProuter is available for monitoring.

The route permission table can be monitored by Solution Manager to automatically detect insecure entries including unauthenticated and unencrypted connections and entries with wildcards in the destination and port fields. An example is provided below.

 

The release and patch level of the SAProuter can be checked using the ROSCC. The port used by the SAProuter and whether the program accepts commands from remote hosts can also be monitored with the ROSCC.

The SAProuter log can be read to detect connections rejected by the SAProuter based on the route permission table. An example of an alert is provided below. Click on the image to enlarge.

Email notifications are automatically triggered by Solution Manager for alerts. See below.

 

Analysts can execute guided procedures in Solution Manager to investigate alerts and document findings. An example is provided below for Securing the Route Permission Table.

The guided procedure provides a framework for discovering insecure entries in the saprouttab file, identifying required entries, maintaining the route permission table and finally, monitoring the SAProuter log for rejected connections.

Detailed reference documentation is included for each step in the procedure.

SAP Security Notes, April 2018

Zarah on May 8, 2018

Hot News Note 2622660 includes critical security updates for web browser controls delivered with SAP Business Client. The Client provides a unified environment for SAP applications including Fiori, SAP GUI, and Web Dynpro.  It supports browser controls from Internet Explorer (IE) and Chrome for displaying HTML content. Security corrections for the WebBrowser control of the .NET framework in IE are delivered directly by Microsoft. Unlike IE, the browser control for Chrome is embedded in SAP Business Client using the open source Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF). Security fixes are provided by the Chromium project and delivered by SAP through periodic Security Notes.  Note 2622660 includes corrections addressed by Chromium releases 64 and 65. The critical rating of the note is due to the fact that the highest CVSS rating of the security corrections bundled in the fixes is 9.8/10.

Note 2552318 provides an important update for Note 2376081 released in August 2017. The note deals with a high priority code injection vulnerability impacting iviews created in Visual Composer. Iviews are interactive, web-based applications in Java platforms. The corrections included in Notes 2552318 and 2376081 will support code injection checks for the entire input stream received from Visual Composer in the export to Excel mechanism. Note 2376081 should be implemented before 2552318.

Note 2537150 includes corrections to automatically terminate active sessions for user whose passwords have been changed in BusinessObjects.

Note 2587985 provides instructions for removing a Denial of Service (DOS) vulnerability in the Apache Http Server embedded in SAP Business One.

Finally, Note 2190621 provides a solution to log peer IP addresses instead of terminal IP addresses in the Security Audit Log, Peer or routed IP addresses are less vulnerable to manipulation than terminal IP addresses.

GDPR Compliance with SAP Solution Manager 7.2

Layer Seven on April 23, 2018

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will be enforceable throughout the European Union in less than a month. The regulation specifies how personal data should be managed and applies to organizations that collect data on EU citizens, regardless of whether or not they are located within the EU. GDPR requirements include data protection measures to secure systems that store or process personal data (privacy by design). They also include breach notification requirements that oblige organizations to notify customers within 72 hours of any compromise of their personal data.  Organizations may be fined up to €20 million or 4% of global turnover for non-compliance, whichever is greater. Therefore, GDPR is regarded as the most stringent data security framework to date.

In SAP environments, the requirement for privacy by design can be met by hardening and patching systems using Service Level Reporting, Security Dashboards, and System Recommendations, available in SAP Solution Manager. This will support automated monitoring for security vulnerabilities and missing security patches that could be exploited to target SAP systems and compromise personal data. Interface Monitoring and the Monitoring and Alerting Infrastructure (MAI) in Solution Manager can be used to perform event monitoring to detect potential attacks in near-time.

The requirement for breach notification can be met through systematic monitoring of access to personal data, supported by incident response procedures aligned to GDPR disclosure standards. This can also be performed using SAP Solution Manager. The flowchart below summarizes the process for logging access to personal data in SAP systems, automatically monitoring logs for access violations and finally, responding to potential breaches using guided procedures.

The logging for access to personal data is performed using SAP Read Access Logging (RAL). RAL supports logging for access and changes to sensitive data fields in SAP systems, including custom fields. It can also be used to log access to SAP tables containing bulk records of sensitive data. Data fields and tables are tagged for logging using RAL scenarios. Once configured, RAL configurations can be transported across systems within a landscape. User exclusion lists can be maintained to exclude authorized users from logging. The RAL recording below captures access to banking information accessed through vendor maintenance in SAP ERP.

Access violations are logged in RAL tables. The raw log can be viewed using SRALMONITOR. In the example below, RAL has logged access to banking data belonging to vendor number 1752249 by the user ATTACKER on April 24, 2018 at 1.39 PM. Click on each image to enlarge.

The next step involves automated monitoring of RAL logs and triggering alerts and notifications for suspected breaches to personal data. This is performed using the MAI in SAP Solution Manager. MAI continuously monitors the contents of RAL tables as often as every minute. The MAI Event Calculation Engine alerts for each incident recorded in RAL tables and triggers email notifications to security analysts.

The alert details include the date and time of the event, the impacted system and client, and the name of the user that accessed the personal data.

The final step involves incident response. Analysts can execute guided procedures to investigate suspected breaches of personal data directly from each alert. Once executed, guided procedures provide standard operating procedures including automated steps for security investigations.

Guided procedures provide a framework for ensuring incident response procedures are aligned with GDPR requirements including disclosures to impacted customers, employees or other parties within the reporting window mandated by the regulation. Completed guided procedures are archived to provide an audit trail for compliance purposes.

The comprehensive coverage provided by SAP Solution Manager for the privacy by design and monitoring and disclosure requirements of GDPR presents a powerful alternative to third party software platforms.  Contact Layer Seven Security to discuss how Solution Manager can help your organization become and stay GDPR-compliant.