CVE-2015-0546 in Unified Infrastructure Manager
Summary
by MITRE
EMC Unified Infrastructure Manager/Provisioning (UIM/P) 4.1 allows remote attackers to bypass LDAP authentication by providing a valid account name.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/21/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-0546 affects EMC Unified Infrastructure Manager/Provisioning version 4.1, representing a critical authentication bypass flaw that undermines the security posture of enterprise monitoring and provisioning systems. This vulnerability specifically targets the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol authentication mechanism, which is fundamental to secure user access control in enterprise environments. The flaw allows remote attackers to circumvent the intended authentication process by simply providing a valid account name, effectively granting unauthorized access to the system without proper credential validation. This represents a significant weakness in the authentication architecture that directly violates established security principles of least privilege and proper access control enforcement.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper validation of authentication requests within the UIM/P 4.1 system. When a user attempts to authenticate through the LDAP interface, the system fails to properly verify the legitimacy of the authentication attempt, allowing attackers to exploit a logic flaw in the authentication flow. This flaw essentially creates a path where valid usernames can be used to bypass the password verification step entirely, meaning that even if an attacker cannot guess the correct password, they can still gain access simply by knowing a valid username within the directory service. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic authentication bypass weakness that aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues in software systems. This type of flaw typically occurs when developers fail to implement proper state management during authentication sequences or when they assume that valid user identification automatically implies valid authorization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, as it creates a persistent security risk that can be exploited by remote attackers without requiring physical presence or complex attack vectors. Organizations relying on UIM/P 4.1 for infrastructure monitoring and provisioning face significant exposure since the vulnerability allows attackers to potentially access sensitive monitoring data, manipulate provisioning workflows, and gain visibility into critical infrastructure components. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors can exploit this vulnerability from anywhere on the internet, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments that may not have proper network segmentation in place. This vulnerability directly impacts the CIA triad, specifically compromising confidentiality and integrity by allowing unauthorized access to privileged systems and potentially enabling further exploitation through lateral movement within the network. The flaw also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts as a means of gaining access to systems, as attackers can leverage this vulnerability to obtain access using legitimate credentials without needing to compromise them through other means.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates for UIM/P 4.1, which would address the authentication bypass mechanism. Network segmentation should be implemented to isolate the UIM/P system from critical network segments, and additional monitoring should be deployed to detect anomalous authentication patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Access controls should be reviewed to ensure that only necessary personnel have access to the affected system, and multi-factor authentication should be considered as an additional layer of protection. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper authentication design and testing, particularly in systems that rely heavily on directory services for user management. Security teams should also conduct thorough assessments of similar systems within their environment to identify potential instances of the same or related authentication bypass vulnerabilities. Regular security testing including penetration testing and vulnerability scanning should be performed to identify and remediate similar weaknesses before they can be exploited by malicious actors.