CVE-2011-3160 in Data Protector for Personal Computers
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in HP Data Protector Notebook Extension 6.20 and Data Protector for Personal Computers 7.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unknown vectors, aka ZDI-CAN-1228.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/01/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3160 represents a critical security flaw in HP Data Protector Notebook Extension version 6.20 and Data Protector for Personal Computers version 7.0. This issue falls under the category of unspecified remote code execution vulnerabilities, which are particularly dangerous due to their potential for widespread exploitation across networked environments. The vulnerability was disclosed through the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) under the CAN number 1228, indicating that it was actively being exploited in the wild prior to public disclosure. The affected software products are part of HP's broader data protection ecosystem designed to secure personal computers and notebook devices, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for enterprise and individual users alike.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from unspecified attack vectors that allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. While the exact technical flaw remains unspecified in the public record, such vulnerabilities typically arise from memory corruption issues, buffer overflows, or improper input validation within network services or communication protocols. The unspecified nature of the vector suggests that the vulnerability may be present in multiple components of the Data Protector software stack, potentially including network listening services, authentication mechanisms, or data processing modules. This ambiguity in the attack surface makes the vulnerability particularly challenging to defend against, as security teams cannot easily determine which specific components might be exploitable. The vulnerability is classified as a remote code execution flaw, which directly maps to CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer) and CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write) within the CWE classification system.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-3160 is substantial and potentially catastrophic for organizations relying on HP Data Protector solutions. Remote code execution vulnerabilities of this nature provide attackers with complete system compromise capabilities, enabling them to install malware, modify system configurations, steal sensitive data, or establish persistent backdoors. In enterprise environments where Data Protector is used for backup and recovery operations, successful exploitation could lead to complete data loss or data corruption, as attackers could manipulate backup processes and target backup repositories. The vulnerability affects both notebook extension and personal computer versions, suggesting it may be present in client-side components that communicate with central backup servers, potentially allowing attackers to compromise both endpoint devices and central infrastructure. This dual impact makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could enable attackers to move laterally through networks and escalate privileges across multiple system components.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-3160 should prioritize immediate remediation through official vendor patches and updates. Organizations should urgently apply the security patches provided by HP to address the unspecified vulnerability in their Data Protector installations. Additionally, network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to Data Protector services, particularly limiting communication between client systems and central backup servers to trusted networks only. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual network traffic patterns or unauthorized access attempts to backup services. The vulnerability's classification as a remote code execution flaw aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter), indicating that attackers may leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access and execute malicious commands. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify additional attack surfaces within Data Protector implementations, while endpoint protection solutions should be configured to monitor for suspicious process execution patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts targeting known vulnerable services.