CVE-2011-1515 in OpenView Storage Data Protector
Summary
by MITRE
The inet service in HP OpenView Storage Data Protector 6.00 through 6.20 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon exit) via a request containing crafted parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/13/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1515 affects the inet service component within HP OpenView Storage Data Protector versions 6.00 through 6.20. This represents a critical denial of service weakness that can be exploited by remote attackers to disrupt the availability of storage management services. The affected service operates as a network daemon responsible for handling client requests in the storage protection environment, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to compromise system availability. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the service processes requests containing crafted parameters that trigger unexpected behavior in the daemon's processing logic.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate input validation within the inet service implementation where the daemon fails to properly sanitize or validate incoming request parameters before processing them. When maliciously crafted parameters are submitted to the service, they cause the daemon to terminate unexpectedly, resulting in a complete service outage. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and represents a classic example of a buffer overflow or parameter parsing error that leads to service termination. The attack vector requires only network access to the affected service port, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited from anywhere on the network without requiring authentication.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it can severely compromise storage protection capabilities within enterprise environments. Organizations relying on HP OpenView Storage Data Protector for their backup and recovery operations face significant risk when this vulnerability exists, as the daemon failure can leave critical data protection services unavailable during peak usage periods. The vulnerability affects the availability aspect of the CIA triad, potentially disrupting business continuity operations and creating gaps in data protection coverage. Network administrators may experience unexpected service outages that could lead to extended downtime for backup operations, particularly in mission-critical environments where storage protection is essential for disaster recovery planning.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems with the vendor-provided security updates. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to the affected service ports and consider deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious parameter patterns. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of patched environments to ensure that the fix does not introduce compatibility issues with existing backup operations. Additionally, implementing network access controls through firewalls to restrict access to the affected service ports to only authorized administrative systems can provide an additional layer of protection. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique for network denial of service, and organizations should consider implementing monitoring for unusual service termination patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.