CVE-2014-7876 in Integrated Lights-Out
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in HP Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) firmware 2 before 2.27 and 4 before 2.03 and iLO Chassis Management (CM) firmware before 1.30 allows remote attackers to gain privileges, execute arbitrary code, or cause a denial of service via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/16/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7876 affects HP Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) firmware versions prior to 2.27 for firmware 2 and 2.03 for firmware 4, as well as iLO Chassis Management firmware versions before 1.30. This represents a critical security flaw in remote management infrastructure that serves as the foundation for data center operations and server administration. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability vectors makes this particularly concerning as it could encompass multiple attack surfaces including authentication bypasses, privilege escalation mechanisms, or code execution pathways that adversaries might exploit to compromise the management interface.
The technical flaw lies within the firmware implementation of HP's remote management controllers, which are designed to provide out-of-band management capabilities for servers and data center equipment. These controllers operate independently of the main server operating system and provide critical functions such as remote console access, power management, and system monitoring. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to potentially gain elevated privileges within the management interface, which could lead to complete compromise of the managed systems. This aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control issues in firmware implementations, and represents a significant weakness in the principle of least privilege that should be maintained in remote management systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond individual server compromise, as iLO interfaces are commonly deployed across enterprise data centers and cloud environments where they serve as the primary means of remote administration. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability could gain unauthorized access to critical infrastructure management functions, potentially leading to widespread system compromise, data exfiltration, or disruption of business operations. The ability to execute arbitrary code through the management interface provides attackers with persistent access to the network infrastructure, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where physical security is already compromised or where attackers have already gained initial access through other vectors.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including firmware updates to the latest supported versions of HP iLO firmware, which address the unspecified vulnerability vectors. Network segmentation should be implemented to isolate management interfaces from production networks, and access controls should be strictly enforced through the use of strong authentication mechanisms including multi-factor authentication. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date firmware in remote management systems and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation through legitimate credentials. Regular security assessments of management interfaces and monitoring for anomalous access patterns should be implemented as part of comprehensive security operations to detect potential exploitation attempts. Given the nature of this vulnerability, organizations should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems specifically configured to monitor for traffic patterns associated with known exploitation attempts against iLO management interfaces.