CVE-2012-5210 in Intelligent Management Centertacacs+ Authentication Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in HP Intelligent Management Center (iMC) TACACS+ Authentication Manager (TAM) before 5.2 E0401 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information, modify data, or cause a denial of service via unknown vectors, aka ZDI-CAN-1646.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/11/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-5210 affects HP Intelligent Management Center (iMC) TACACS+ Authentication Manager (TAM) versions prior to 5.2 E0401, representing a critical security flaw that compromises the integrity and confidentiality of authentication processes within enterprise network management systems. This unspecified vulnerability exists within the TACACS+ authentication framework that HP iMC employs to manage user access and network device authentication, creating potential attack surfaces that could be exploited by remote threat actors. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified indicates that the exact technical mechanism remains undisclosed, but its impact spans multiple security domains including information disclosure, data modification, and denial of service conditions that collectively undermine the security posture of affected systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from weaknesses in the TACACS+ authentication manager's handling of authentication requests and session management within the iMC platform, which operates as a centralized network management solution for enterprise environments. TACACS+ is a widely adopted protocol for authentication, authorization, and accounting services that provides granular control over network access and device management. When compromised, the TAM component becomes vulnerable to attacks that can manipulate authentication flows, potentially allowing unauthorized users to gain administrative privileges or disrupt legitimate authentication processes. This vulnerability specifically affects the authentication manager's ability to properly validate and process TACACS+ requests, creating opportunities for attackers to exploit implementation flaws in the authentication logic.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-5210 extends beyond simple information disclosure to encompass significant threats to network availability and integrity, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments that rely heavily on centralized network management. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could potentially cause denial of service conditions that disrupt network management operations, modify authentication data to alter user access permissions, or extract sensitive information about network configurations and user credentials. The remote exploitability of this vulnerability means that attackers do not require physical access to the network infrastructure, significantly expanding the attack surface and making the vulnerability particularly attractive to threat actors seeking to compromise enterprise network management systems. Organizations utilizing HP iMC for network device management face potential exposure to unauthorized access, privilege escalation, and service disruption that could impact critical network infrastructure operations.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation efforts by upgrading to HP iMC version 5.2 E0401 or later, which contains patches addressing the vulnerability. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of the affected systems, while monitoring for unusual authentication patterns or network disruptions should be enhanced. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-200 for information disclosure and CWE-119 for memory safety issues, while attack vectors may map to ATT&CK techniques involving credential access and denial of service. Regular security assessments and vulnerability management processes should be strengthened to identify and remediate similar issues in other network management and authentication systems within the enterprise infrastructure.