CVE-2010-4112 in Insight Management Agents
Summary
by MITRE
HP Insight Management Agents before 8.6 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via an unspecified request that triggers disclosure of the full path.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/08/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-4112 affects HP Insight Management Agents version 8.5 and earlier, representing a significant information disclosure flaw that exposes system paths to remote attackers. This vulnerability falls under the category of path disclosure attacks, where malicious actors can exploit improperly handled requests to gain knowledge of the underlying file system structure. The flaw exists in the agent's handling of unspecified requests that should not reveal internal system paths to unauthorized users. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it provides attackers with detailed information about the application's installation directory structure, which can serve as a foundation for more sophisticated attacks. Such path disclosure information often enables attackers to understand the application's architecture and potentially identify other vulnerabilities through directory traversal techniques. The affected HP Insight Management Agents are commonly deployed in enterprise environments for system monitoring and management, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by attackers who gain access to network segments where these agents operate.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper error handling within the HP Insight Management Agents software. When processing certain requests, the system fails to sanitize or properly validate input parameters, resulting in the exposure of full system paths in error messages or response data. This flaw aligns with CWE-209, which specifically addresses the issue of information exposure through error messages, and potentially relates to CWE-35, which covers improper handling of path traversal sequences. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires no special privileges to exploit, making it accessible to any remote attacker who can communicate with the affected system. The unspecified nature of the request type suggests that multiple entry points within the agent's interface may be susceptible to this flaw, indicating a systemic issue in how the software handles various request types rather than a single point of failure. This characteristic makes the vulnerability more pervasive and harder to fully mitigate without comprehensive code review and patching.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-4112 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the exposed paths can enable attackers to perform more advanced exploitation techniques. Knowledge of the application's full path structure allows threat actors to craft targeted attacks that leverage directory traversal vulnerabilities, potentially leading to unauthorized file access or even remote code execution in some scenarios. The vulnerability directly supports techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1083 for file and directory discovery, as attackers can use the disclosed information to map the system's file structure. In enterprise environments where HP Insight Management Agents are deployed for monitoring critical infrastructure, this vulnerability could provide attackers with sufficient information to compromise the entire monitoring system, potentially leading to complete system takeover or data exfiltration. The impact is particularly severe because these agents often run with elevated privileges and have access to sensitive system information that would otherwise be protected from casual inspection.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-4112 focus primarily on updating to HP Insight Management Agents version 8.6 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the path disclosure issue. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to systems running these agents, ensuring that only authorized personnel can communicate with the monitoring infrastructure. Input validation and sanitization measures should be implemented at the application level to prevent the exposure of internal system paths in error responses. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual request patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly those that attempt to trigger path disclosure behaviors. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines, specifically focusing on proper error handling and input validation to prevent information leakage. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues in other components of the IT infrastructure, as this type of information disclosure vulnerability often indicates broader security weaknesses in application design and implementation.