CVE-2009-2298 in OpenView Network Node Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Stack-based buffer overflow in rping in HP OpenView Network Node Manager (OV NNM) 7.53 on Linux allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, possibly involving a CGI request to webappmon.exe. NOTE: this may overlap CVE-2009-1420.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/15/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-2298 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow flaw within the rping component of HP OpenView Network Node Manager version 7.53 running on Linux systems. This vulnerability resides in the webappmon.exe CGI application which serves as a monitoring interface for the network management platform. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where unauthenticated access may be possible. The vulnerability's classification as a stack-based buffer overflow indicates that malicious input can overwrite adjacent memory locations on the program's execution stack, potentially allowing attackers to inject and execute malicious code.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through CGI request handling within the webappmon.exe component, which processes incoming web requests from remote clients. When the application fails to properly validate input length or bounds during processing of these requests, attackers can craft malicious payloads that exceed the allocated buffer space, causing a stack overflow condition. This overflow can overwrite return addresses and execution pointers within the program's memory space, enabling attackers to redirect program execution flow to malicious code injected into the buffer. The vulnerability's potential overlap with CVE-2009-1420 suggests similar attack vectors or underlying causes in the same software family, indicating a broader class of issues affecting HP OpenView NNM implementations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution, as it can enable full system compromise and persistent access to network infrastructure managed by HP OpenView NNM. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can gain unauthorized access to sensitive network monitoring data, potentially leading to complete network infiltration and data exfiltration. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can exploit the vulnerability from outside the network perimeter, making traditional network segmentation measures insufficient for protection. Organizations using this software in production environments face significant risk of unauthorized access, system compromise, and potential disruption of critical network monitoring operations that depend on the affected platform.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-2298 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems with the latest HP security updates, as the vendor would have released specific fixes for this vulnerability. Network segmentation and access control measures should be implemented to restrict access to the affected web application, limiting the attack surface where unauthenticated access could occur. Implementing intrusion detection systems with signatures specific to this vulnerability can help identify exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121 stack-based buffer overflow classification and maps to attack patterns in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under initial access and execution phases. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies and regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in network management applications. System administrators should monitor for unusual network traffic patterns and unauthorized access attempts that may indicate exploitation of this or related vulnerabilities.