CVE-2014-3048 in System Storage Virtualization Engine Ts7700
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability on the IBM System Storage Virtualization Engine TS7700 allows local users to gain privileges by leveraging the TSSC service-user role to enter a crafted SSH command.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/06/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-3048 affects the IBM System Storage Virtualization Engine TS7700, a critical storage virtualization platform that serves as a cornerstone for enterprise data management and virtualization operations. This unspecified weakness resides within the system's security architecture, specifically within the TSSC service-user role implementation that governs access controls and privilege management. The vulnerability represents a significant security flaw that could enable local attackers with limited access to escalate their privileges to higher administrative levels, potentially compromising the entire storage infrastructure and the sensitive data it manages.
The technical flaw manifests through the TSSC service-user role's improper handling of SSH command execution, allowing maliciously crafted SSH commands to be injected or executed within the system's privileged context. This vulnerability operates as a privilege escalation vector where local users who have already established a foothold within the system can leverage their existing TSSC service-user role access to execute unauthorized commands that bypass normal security controls. The flaw essentially creates a path for privilege elevation through command injection techniques that exploit weaknesses in how the system processes and validates SSH command inputs, potentially allowing attackers to gain root-level access or administrative privileges within the storage virtualization engine.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple privilege escalation, as it represents a critical weakness in enterprise storage security that could lead to complete system compromise. Organizations utilizing the TS7700 platform face significant risks including unauthorized data access, potential data corruption or deletion, disruption of storage services, and exposure of sensitive enterprise information. The local nature of the attack means that attackers need only minimal initial access to exploit this vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users have legitimate access to the system. This vulnerability could enable attackers to manipulate storage virtualization configurations, potentially leading to service outages, data loss, or unauthorized data transfers that could affect business continuity and regulatory compliance.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-3048 should prioritize immediate implementation of security patches provided by IBM, as this vulnerability directly affects the core security architecture of the TS7700 platform. Organizations must conduct thorough security assessments of their TSSC service-user role configurations and implement strict access controls to limit the number of users with elevated privileges. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect unauthorized SSH command execution attempts and privilege escalation activities. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-78 and CWE-20 categories related to command injection and input validation flaws, and its exploitation patterns correspond to ATT&CK techniques such as privilege escalation through service misconfiguration and command execution. Regular security audits, privilege reviews, and implementation of the principle of least privilege should be enforced to minimize the attack surface and prevent successful exploitation of this vulnerability.