CVE-2010-3006 in ProLiant G6 Lights-Out 100 Remote Management
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability on the HP ProLiant G6 Lights-Out 100 Remote Management card with firmware before 4.06 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/06/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-3006 affects HP ProLiant G6 Lights-Out 100 Remote Management card systems operating with firmware versions prior to 4.06. This remote management interface serves as a critical component for system administrators to monitor and control servers remotely, providing out-of-band management capabilities that are essential for maintaining server availability and security. The affected hardware represents a significant portion of enterprise server infrastructure from the early 2010s, where remote management capabilities were becoming increasingly vital for operational efficiency.
The technical flaw manifests as an unspecified vulnerability within the firmware implementation of the Lights-Out 100 management card, which operates independently of the primary server operating system. This remote management card functions as a dedicated microcontroller with its own processor and memory, providing web-based interfaces, command-line access, and SNMP support for server monitoring. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute commands that result in a denial of service condition, effectively compromising the availability of the management interface and potentially rendering the server inaccessible for remote administration. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability vectors suggests that multiple attack surfaces within the firmware implementation may be exploitable, including potential buffer overflows, improper input validation, or authentication bypass mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it compromises the fundamental availability of remote management capabilities that organizations rely upon for server maintenance, monitoring, and troubleshooting. When the Lights-Out management interface becomes unavailable, system administrators lose the ability to perform remote diagnostics, update firmware, monitor system health, or conduct emergency interventions during server failures. This vulnerability directly impacts the principles of availability within the CIA triad and can lead to extended downtime for critical server infrastructure, potentially resulting in business disruption and financial losses. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it affects systems that may be deployed in mission-critical environments where remote access capabilities are essential for maintaining uptime and operational continuity.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize firmware updates to version 4.06 or later, which contain the necessary security patches to address the unspecified vulnerability. The remediation process requires careful planning to minimize operational disruption, as firmware updates to remote management cards typically require system downtime for the update process. System administrators should also implement network segmentation strategies to limit access to management interfaces and consider disabling unused management services to reduce the attack surface. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-119, which describes weaknesses in the management of memory or resources, and may be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1499 for network denial of service attacks. Additionally, the vulnerability demonstrates characteristics of privilege escalation and availability compromise that align with multiple ATT&CK tactics including privilege escalation and defense evasion, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security posture assessments and regular firmware maintenance protocols.