CVE-2013-6197 in Service Manager Web Tier
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in HP Service Manager WebTier and Windows Client 9.20 and 9.21 before 9.21.661 p8 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary code via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/18/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-6197 represents a critical security flaw affecting HP Service Manager WebTier and Windows Client versions 9.20 and 9.21 before 9.21.661 p8. This unspecified vulnerability creates a significant attack surface that enables remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and potentially inadequate access controls within the HP Service Manager application framework, particularly in the web tier components that handle user requests and processing. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified indicates that the exact technical mechanism remains undisclosed, though the implications for system compromise are severe.
The technical nature of this vulnerability allows authenticated attackers who already possess valid credentials to escalate their privileges and gain unauthorized code execution capabilities. This represents a privilege escalation vulnerability that could be leveraged by malicious insiders or compromised accounts to bypass normal security controls. The attack vector operates through the web tier interface, suggesting that the vulnerability may involve improper handling of user-supplied data or insufficient sanitization of input parameters that are processed by the service manager application. This flaw likely exists within the application's request processing pipeline where user inputs are not adequately validated or escaped before being used in system operations.
From an operational perspective, the impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution to potentially compromise entire service management infrastructures. Organizations relying on HP Service Manager for critical IT service management operations face significant risk of unauthorized access to their service desk systems, configuration data, and potentially underlying enterprise resources. The vulnerability could enable attackers to manipulate service requests, access sensitive configuration information, or establish persistent access points within the organization's service management ecosystem. This threat is particularly concerning given that the exploit requires only authenticated access, meaning that compromised user accounts or insider threats could immediately leverage this vulnerability.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 (Cross-site Scripting) and CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within a Limited Access Scope) categories, as it involves the execution of arbitrary code through user-controlled inputs that bypass normal access controls. Additionally, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell) and T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation) within the enterprise attack framework. Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the vendor-provided patch for HP Service Manager 9.21.661 p8, implementing network segmentation to limit access to service manager components, and conducting thorough security assessments of all authenticated user access points. The remediation process should also include monitoring for suspicious authentication activities and implementing enhanced access controls for service manager interfaces to prevent unauthorized code execution attempts.