CVE-2002-0763 in VirtualVault
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in administration server for HP VirtualVault 4.5 on HP-UX 11.04 allows remote web servers or privileged external processes to bypass access restrictions and establish connections to the server.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/24/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-0763 represents a critical access control flaw within the administration server component of HP VirtualVault 4.5 software running on HP-UX 11.04 operating systems. This issue stems from inadequate authentication and authorization mechanisms that permit unauthorized entities to circumvent the intended security boundaries protecting the administration server. The vulnerability specifically affects the web-based administrative interface, creating a pathway for remote attackers to gain access to privileged system resources that should remain restricted to authorized administrators only.
The technical implementation flaw manifests through improper validation of access requests within the administration server's network communication protocols. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious requests that bypass the normal authentication processes, effectively allowing them to establish direct connections to the administration server without proper authorization. This vulnerability operates at the network layer and application layer, where the server fails to properly enforce access controls that should prevent unauthorized network connections to sensitive administrative functions. The flaw essentially creates a backdoor mechanism that allows external processes, whether remote web servers or privileged external entities, to directly interact with the administration server's functions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with elevated privileges that could enable complete compromise of the VirtualVault system. Once exploited, an attacker could potentially perform administrative functions such as modifying system configurations, accessing sensitive data, creating or modifying user accounts, and potentially gaining control over the entire VirtualVault environment. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system by allowing unauthorized access to critical administrative functions that should be protected. This represents a significant risk to organizations relying on HP VirtualVault for data protection, as the compromise of administrative access could lead to complete system takeover and data breaches.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of the affected HP VirtualVault software to address the access control implementation flaws. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to isolate the administration server from external networks and restrict access through firewalls to only trusted administrative IP addresses. Additionally, monitoring and logging of administrative access attempts should be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control in software systems, and corresponds to techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and lateral movement tactics. Organizations should also consider implementing network access control lists and restricting the exposure of administrative interfaces to minimize the attack surface and reduce the likelihood of successful exploitation.