CVE-2016-4370 in Project
Summary
by MITRE
HPE Project and Portfolio Management Center (PPM) 9.2x and 9.3x before 9.32.0002 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary commands or obtain sensitive information via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/14/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-4370 affects HPE Project and Portfolio Management Center versions 9.2x and 9.3x prior to 9.32.0002, representing a critical security flaw that enables remote authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands or access sensitive information. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and improper access controls within the application's command execution mechanisms, creating a pathway for malicious actors who have legitimate authentication credentials to escalate their privileges and compromise the system. The vulnerability exists in the application's handling of user-supplied data that is subsequently processed in system commands, which aligns with common weaknesses described in CWE-78 and CWE-89 related to command injection attacks.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when authenticated users submit malicious input through application interfaces that are subsequently used in system command invocations without proper sanitization or validation. Attackers can leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary code on the underlying operating system with the privileges of the application service account, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple command execution to include information disclosure, as attackers can access sensitive data through the same attack vectors. This represents a significant elevation in attack surface since the initial compromise requires only legitimate authentication credentials rather than privileged access or zero-day exploits.
From an operational perspective, organizations utilizing affected HPE PPM versions face substantial risk exposure due to the remote nature of the attack vector and the potential for lateral movement within networks. The vulnerability allows for privilege escalation attacks that can bypass traditional security controls, as the compromised system can be used to access other network resources through the elevated privileges. This threat model aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1003 for credential access, creating a multi-stage attack pattern that can be particularly damaging in enterprise environments. The affected systems typically operate in business-critical environments where project management data and associated resources are highly valuable to both internal and external threat actors.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through the application of HPE's official patches and updates for versions 9.32.0002 and later, as these releases contain the necessary fixes to address the input validation and access control weaknesses. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and privilege separation measures can help limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous command execution patterns and unusual data access behaviors that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies, as the flaw could be exploited by attackers who have already gained initial access through other means. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their project management systems to identify similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other business-critical applications within their environment.