CVE-2007-5170 in Fire
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the embedded service processor (SP) before 3.09 in Sun Fire X2100 M2 and X2200 M2 Embedded Lights Out Manager (ELOM) allows remote attackers to send arbitrary network traffic and use ELOM as a spam proxy.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/15/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-5170 represents a significant security flaw in the embedded service processor (SP) firmware of Sun Fire X2100 M2 and X2200 M2 servers. This issue affects the Embedded Lights Out Manager (ELOM) component which provides remote management capabilities for these enterprise servers. The vulnerability exists in SP firmware versions prior to 3.09, indicating that it was a long-standing weakness that had not been properly addressed in the affected hardware platforms. The embedded service processor operates as a dedicated management controller that provides out-of-band access to server hardware, making it a critical component for system administration and monitoring tasks.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate network traffic filtering and access control mechanisms within the ELOM implementation. Attackers can exploit this weakness to send arbitrary network traffic through the vulnerable service processor, effectively transforming the legitimate management interface into an unauthorized network relay. This flaw essentially allows malicious actors to leverage the server's network connectivity for nefarious purposes without proper authentication or authorization. The vulnerability does not require sophisticated exploitation techniques, as it operates at the network protocol level where proper input validation and traffic filtering should have been implemented but were absent.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple network abuse, as it enables attackers to use the compromised ELOM as a spam proxy for distributing unwanted network traffic. This capability can be leveraged for various malicious activities including spam email distribution, denial-of-service attacks, or as part of larger botnet operations. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors can exploit this vulnerability from anywhere on the network without requiring physical access to the server. Organizations running these specific server models face significant risk of being unknowingly used as infrastructure for cybercriminal activities, potentially leading to reputation damage, network performance degradation, and compliance violations.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and CWE-310 (Cryptographic Issues) categories, reflecting the fundamental flaws in access control mechanisms and potentially inadequate network security implementations. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) and T1566 (Phishing) as attackers could use the compromised system to send spam traffic or as part of broader social engineering campaigns. The lack of proper network segmentation and monitoring controls would make detection of such abuse difficult, as the malicious traffic would appear to originate from legitimate system management interfaces. Organizations should implement network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous traffic patterns and ensure proper firmware updates are applied to eliminate this vulnerability.
The remediation approach requires immediate firmware updates to SP version 3.09 or later, which would include proper network traffic filtering and access control mechanisms. Additionally, network administrators should implement strict firewall rules to limit access to ELOM management interfaces, restrict outbound network traffic from these systems, and deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious activity. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues in other embedded management controllers within the organization's infrastructure. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of securing embedded management systems and maintaining up-to-date firmware to protect against unauthorized network access and abuse.