CVE-2007-0446 in Mercury Performance Center Agent
Summary
by MITRE
Stack-based buffer overflow in magentproc.exe for Hewlett-Packard Mercury LoadRunner Agent 8.0 and 8.1, Performance Center Agent 8.0 and 8.1, and Monitor over Firewall 8.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a packet with a long server_ip_name field to TCP port 54345, which triggers the overflow in mchan.dll.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-0446 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow flaw in Hewlett-Packard Mercury LoadRunner and Performance Center agent software versions 8.0 and 8.1. This security weakness exists within the magentproc.exe process which handles network communications on TCP port 54345, specifically when processing the server_ip_name field in incoming packets. The flaw is particularly concerning as it allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems without requiring local access or authentication. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the mchan.dll library component, which is responsible for managing communication channels between the agent and monitoring systems. This buffer overflow occurs when the server_ip_name field exceeds the allocated stack buffer space, causing memory corruption that can be exploited to overwrite return addresses and execute malicious code. The affected software platforms include Mercury LoadRunner Agent 8.0 and 8.1, Performance Center Agent 8.0 and 8.1, and Monitor over Firewall 8.1, all of which rely on the vulnerable mchan.dll library for network communication processing.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a classic stack buffer overflow attack pattern where an attacker crafts a malicious packet containing an excessively long server_ip_name field that surpasses the predetermined buffer size in the mchan.dll module. This overflow corrupts the stack memory structure including saved registers, return addresses, and local variables, potentially allowing an attacker to redirect program execution flow to malicious code injected into the buffer. The vulnerability operates under CWE-121 Stack-based Buffer Overflow, which is classified as a fundamental memory safety issue where insufficient bounds checking permits data to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The attack vector requires network connectivity to TCP port 54345, making it particularly dangerous in environments where these agents are exposed to untrusted networks or internet-facing systems. The nature of this flaw means that successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise, allowing attackers to gain full control over the affected agent processes and potentially the underlying host systems. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, as the execution of arbitrary code could enable attackers to run malicious commands and scripts on compromised systems.
The operational impact of CVE-2007-0446 extends beyond simple remote code execution, as it represents a significant threat to enterprise monitoring and testing environments where these agents are commonly deployed. Organizations utilizing HP Mercury LoadRunner and Performance Center solutions may find their test environments and production monitoring systems vulnerable to unauthorized access, potentially compromising sensitive performance data and system integrity. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can target these agents from external networks without requiring physical access or prior authentication, making it particularly dangerous in distributed testing environments or when agents are deployed in DMZ zones. The affected systems could experience system crashes, data corruption, or complete compromise, leading to potential service disruption and unauthorized access to performance monitoring data. Organizations relying on these monitoring tools for critical application performance testing may face scenarios where their testing infrastructure becomes a vector for broader network attacks, especially when the agents are configured to communicate with multiple systems across different network segments. The vulnerability also poses risks to compliance and audit requirements, as compromised monitoring systems could lead to incomplete or manipulated performance data that affects business decision-making processes. Mitigation efforts must consider both immediate patching of the affected software versions and network segmentation strategies to limit exposure of these vulnerable agents to untrusted networks, while also implementing network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts.