CVE-2005-2552 in ProLiant DL585
Summary
by MITRE
Unknown vulnerability in HP ProLiant DL585 servers running Integrated Lights Out (ILO) firmware before 1.81 allows attackers to access server controls when the server is "powered down."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/27/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2552 represents a critical security flaw in Hewlett Packard ProLiant DL585 servers that utilize Integrated Lights Out management technology. This issue affects systems where the ILO firmware version is below 1.81, creating a significant risk during server power states when administrative access should be restricted. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the server enters a powered-down state, yet maintains accessible management interfaces that unauthorized parties can exploit to gain control over critical server functions.
This technical weakness stems from insufficient state management within the ILO firmware implementation, where the system fails to properly terminate or restrict remote management access when the server hardware is powered off. The flaw allows attackers to maintain communication channels with the server's management processor even after the primary system has been powered down, effectively bypassing normal security boundaries that should prevent unauthorized access during shutdown procedures. From a cybersecurity perspective, this represents a failure in privilege separation and access control mechanisms that should prevent management interfaces from remaining active during power-off states.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial as it enables attackers to perform remote administrative functions on powered-down servers, potentially allowing them to execute commands, access system configurations, or manipulate server settings without physical presence or legitimate authentication. This capability significantly increases the attack surface for organizations relying on these servers, as it removes the expected security boundary that power-off states typically provide. The vulnerability could enable attackers to gain persistent access to server management interfaces, potentially leading to broader network compromise or unauthorized system manipulation.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as aligning with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and potentially CWE-310, concerning cryptographic issues that may affect authentication mechanisms. The threat landscape for this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK techniques focusing on remote access and system manipulation, particularly those involving management interface exploitation. Organizations should prioritize immediate firmware updates to version 1.81 or later, which contain patches addressing this specific access control flaw. Additional mitigations include network segmentation of management interfaces, implementation of strict firewall rules, and regular monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to ILO interfaces. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of comprehensive security testing across all system states, including power management scenarios, to ensure that administrative access controls remain effective throughout all operational phases of server lifecycle management.