CVE-2008-4413 in System Management Homepage
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in HP System Management Homepage (SMH) 2.2.6 and earlier on HP-UX B.11.11 and B.11.23, and SMH 2.2.6 and 2.2.8 and earlier on HP-UX B.11.23 and B.11.31, allows local users to gain "unauthorized access" via unknown vectors, possibly related to temporary file permissions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/25/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-4413 represents a critical security weakness within HP System Management Homepage software versions 2.2.6 and earlier, affecting specific HP-UX operating system versions including B.11.11, B.11.23, and B.11.31. This issue falls under the category of local privilege escalation, where attackers with low-privilege access can potentially elevate their privileges to gain unauthorized access to system resources. The vulnerability specifically relates to improper handling of temporary files within the system management framework, creating potential attack vectors that could compromise system integrity and confidentiality. The unspecified nature of the exact attack vectors suggests that multiple pathways may exist for exploitation, making the vulnerability particularly concerning for security professionals who must account for various potential attack surfaces.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper management of temporary file permissions within the HP System Management Homepage implementation. When applications create temporary files during operation, they typically establish specific permission settings that control access to these files. In vulnerable versions of SMH, the temporary file creation process fails to properly enforce secure permission models, potentially allowing local users to manipulate or access these temporary files. This weakness aligns with CWE-377, which addresses the creation of temporary files with insecure permissions, and CWE-276, which covers improper file permissions. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic security misconfiguration where the system fails to implement proper access controls for temporary resources, creating a window of opportunity for privilege escalation attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it could enable attackers to compromise the entire system management infrastructure. Local users who exploit this vulnerability could potentially gain elevated privileges to perform administrative functions, modify system configurations, or access sensitive management data. The affected platforms include multiple HP-UX versions, indicating the vulnerability spans across different system generations and could affect organizations with diverse IT infrastructures. This vulnerability particularly impacts enterprise environments where system management tools are extensively used for monitoring and controlling critical infrastructure components. Attackers could leverage this weakness to establish persistent access points within the system, making it difficult to detect and remediate the compromise. The potential for privilege escalation through temporary file manipulation creates a significant risk for maintaining system integrity and preventing unauthorized administrative access.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability, including applying the latest security patches provided by HP for affected SMH versions. System administrators should conduct comprehensive audits of temporary file handling processes within the SMH environment and review current permission settings for all temporary file directories. The implementation of proper file system permissions and access controls should be enforced across all system management components, with particular attention to temporary file creation processes. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing monitoring solutions that can detect unauthorized access attempts or suspicious file operations within the SMH framework. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1068, which covers 'Local Privilege Escalation', and T1078, which addresses 'Valid Accounts' and 'Default Accounts' as potential attack vectors. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any similar weaknesses in other system management tools and applications that may present similar temporary file handling vulnerabilities.