CVE-2011-1538 in Proliant Support Pack
Summary
by MITRE
Open redirect vulnerability in HP Proliant Support Pack (PSP) before 8.7 allows remote authenticated users to redirect other users to arbitrary web sites and conduct phishing attacks via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/15/2018
The CVE-2011-1538 vulnerability represents a critical open redirect flaw discovered in Hewlett Packard's Proliant Support Pack software prior to version 8.7. This vulnerability specifically affects the authentication and authorization mechanisms within the PSP framework, creating a significant security risk for organizations utilizing HP Proliant servers. The flaw enables authenticated attackers to manipulate web application redirects, potentially compromising user trust and system integrity through malicious redirection attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding within the PSP web interface components. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting specially formatted requests that bypass normal redirect validation checks, allowing them to redirect users to malicious third-party domains. This type of vulnerability typically manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied redirect URLs or when it accepts redirect targets without sufficient verification of their legitimacy. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-601 category of URL Redirector Abuse, which specifically addresses insecure redirection mechanisms that can be exploited for phishing and social engineering attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-1538 extends beyond simple web navigation manipulation, as it creates a foundation for sophisticated phishing campaigns and credential theft operations. When authenticated users are redirected to malicious sites, they may unknowingly provide sensitive information such as login credentials, personal data, or system access tokens. The vulnerability's ability to affect authenticated users means that attackers can leverage existing trust relationships within the organization to carry out more targeted and effective attacks. This risk is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where PSP is used for server management and monitoring, as it could provide attackers with access to critical system information and potentially escalate to higher privilege levels.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to PSP version 8.7 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the redirect validation issues. Network segmentation and monitoring of web application traffic can help detect suspicious redirect patterns, while security awareness training for administrators can reduce the risk of successful phishing attempts. The vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including initial access through phishing and credential access through social engineering. Additional protective measures should include implementing web application firewalls, configuring strict redirect validation rules, and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other enterprise applications. Organizations should also review their incident response procedures to ensure they can effectively respond to potential redirection attacks that may exploit this and similar vulnerabilities.