CVE-2011-0277 in Power Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in HP Power Manager (HPPM) 4.3.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that create new administrative accounts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/03/2024
The CVE-2011-0277 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in HP Power Manager version 4.3.2 and earlier systems. This vulnerability resides within the web-based administrative interface of the power management software, which is commonly deployed in enterprise environments to monitor and control power consumption across IT infrastructure. The flaw specifically affects the authentication mechanisms used by the HPPM administrative console, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system's trust relationship with legitimate users.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation within the administrative account creation endpoints. When administrators perform administrative tasks through the web interface, the system should validate that requests originate from authenticated users and are not forged by external attackers. However, HPPM fails to implement robust CSRF protection measures, particularly in the account creation functionality where new administrative users can be provisioned. Attackers can craft malicious web pages or exploit existing vulnerabilities in web browsers to trick authenticated administrators into executing unauthorized account creation requests without their knowledge or consent.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it allows remote attackers to establish persistent administrative access to critical power management systems. This capability provides attackers with significant control over enterprise power infrastructure, potentially enabling them to disrupt operations, modify power policies, or create backdoor access points for future exploitation. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in data center environments where HPPM is used to manage large-scale power distribution systems, as unauthorized administrative accounts could be used to manipulate power allocation, potentially causing service disruptions or security breaches.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. From an adversarial perspective, this flaw maps directly to ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers legitimate credentials, specifically administrative accounts, as attackers can leverage this vulnerability to create new administrative accounts and maintain persistent access. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation does not require physical access to the system or direct network connectivity to the target network, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where such systems are often accessible from multiple network segments.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper CSRF token validation mechanisms within the web application, ensuring that all administrative functions require unique, time-based tokens that are validated server-side before processing any account creation requests. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as multi-factor authentication for administrative access, network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces, and regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other enterprise applications. The most effective remediation involves upgrading to HP Power Manager versions that include proper CSRF protection mechanisms and implementing comprehensive web application security controls to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future deployments.