CVE-2012-2002 in SNMP Agents
Summary
by MITRE
Open redirect vulnerability in HP SNMP Agents for Linux before 9.0.0 allows remote attackers to redirect users to arbitrary web sites and conduct phishing attacks via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/24/2021
The CVE-2012-2002 vulnerability represents a critical open redirect flaw within HP SNMP Agents for Linux versions prior to 9.0.0, classified under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-601. This weakness specifically addresses the improper validation of redirect parameters, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate web navigation flows. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization mechanisms within the SNMP agent's web interface components, which fail to properly validate or sanitize redirect URLs before processing user requests.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through crafted HTTP requests that contain malicious redirect parameters, allowing attackers to manipulate the agent's response handling mechanism. When users interact with the vulnerable SNMP agent interface, they may be unknowingly redirected to attacker-controlled web sites that can host phishing content, malware distribution points, or malicious payloads designed to capture credentials or system information. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that multiple entry points within the agent's web service could potentially be leveraged for this attack, including various management interfaces or API endpoints.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability significantly increases the attack surface for organizations relying on HP SNMP Agents for Linux systems, as it enables sophisticated social engineering campaigns that can bypass traditional security controls. Attackers can craft convincing phishing pages that appear to originate from legitimate management interfaces, making it difficult for users to distinguish between authentic and malicious redirects. The vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where SNMP monitoring is extensively deployed, as it can compromise the trust relationships between management systems and end users, potentially leading to broader network infiltration attempts.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to HP SNMP Agents for Linux version 9.0.0 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the redirect validation flaws. Network segmentation and monitoring of SNMP traffic can help detect anomalous redirect patterns, while user education programs should emphasize the importance of verifying URLs before proceeding through any redirect mechanisms. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of implementing proper input validation and output encoding practices, as recommended by the OWASP Top Ten and MITRE ATT&CK framework categories related to web application security and credential access techniques. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular vulnerability assessments focusing on web application components and ensure that all network management interfaces undergo rigorous security testing to prevent similar issues from arising in other components of their infrastructure.