CVE-2016-4374 in Release Control
Summary
by MITRE
HPE Release Control (RC) 9.13, 9.20, and 9.21 before 9.21.0005 p4 allows remote authenticated users to conduct server-side request forgery (SSRF) attacks, and consequently obtain sensitive information or cause a denial of service, via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/12/2022
HPE Release Control version 9.13, 9.20, and 9.21 before 9.21.0005 p4 contains a critical server-side request forgery vulnerability that enables authenticated remote attackers to manipulate the application's request handling mechanisms. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-918 category of Server-Side Request Forgery, which represents a significant security risk in enterprise release management systems where such tools often serve as gateways to internal network resources. The flaw exists in the application's handling of user-supplied input that is processed as part of HTTP requests, allowing attackers to trick the system into making unintended requests to internal services or external systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user-provided URLs or request parameters within the release control application's processing pipeline. When authenticated users submit requests containing maliciously crafted URLs or URI references, the system fails to properly sanitize or validate these inputs before forwarding them to backend services. This allows attackers to potentially access internal resources that should normally be restricted, including internal databases, management interfaces, or other sensitive systems within the organization's network perimeter. The vulnerability manifests through unspecified vectors that likely involve HTTP parameter manipulation or URL parsing flaws within the application's request handling code.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to encompass potential system compromise and service disruption. An attacker with valid credentials can exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to internal network resources, potentially escalating privileges or extracting sensitive configuration data, credentials, or business-critical information. The vulnerability can also be leveraged to cause denial of service conditions by directing the application to make excessive requests to target systems, overwhelming network resources or consuming system memory. This risk is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where release control systems often have elevated privileges and access to production environments, making them attractive targets for attackers seeking lateral movement within the network infrastructure.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by applying the vendor-provided patch for HPE Release Control 9.21.0005 p4, which addresses the SSRF vulnerability through proper input validation and request sanitization mechanisms. Security teams should also implement network-level controls including firewall rules that restrict outbound connections from the release control application to internal services, and establish monitoring procedures to detect anomalous request patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190 for Server-Side Request Forgery, and organizations should consider implementing the principle of least privilege for release control applications to minimize the potential impact of such vulnerabilities. Additionally, regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other enterprise applications that may be susceptible to similar attack vectors, particularly those handling user input in HTTP request processing contexts.