CVE-2016-4382 in Performance Center
Summary
by MITRE
HPE Performance Center 11.52, 12.00, 12.01, 12.20, and 12.50 allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions via unspecified vectors, related to a "remote user validation failure" issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/19/2022
HPE Performance Center versions 11.52, 12.00, 12.01, 12.20, and 12.50 contain a critical security vulnerability that allows remote attackers to bypass intended access controls through unspecified vectors. This vulnerability specifically targets the authentication and authorization mechanisms within the system, creating a remote user validation failure that undermines the security posture of the platform. The flaw exists in the way the system validates user credentials and permissions, potentially allowing unauthorized individuals to gain access to restricted functionality and data without proper authentication. This issue represents a significant weakness in the application's security architecture and could enable attackers to escalate privileges or access sensitive performance monitoring data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of remote user credentials within the Performance Center environment. Attackers can exploit this weakness to circumvent the normal authentication flow that should verify user identities and permissions before granting access to system resources. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests multiple potential pathways through which the validation failure can be exploited, making the vulnerability particularly concerning as it may be combinable with other techniques. This type of vulnerability typically falls under the category of authentication bypass flaws that can be classified as CWE-287, which deals with authentication failures, or potentially CWE-305, which addresses authentication with weak cryptography. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited remotely, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that expose Performance Center instances to external networks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial for organizations using affected HPE Performance Center versions. Unauthorized access to performance monitoring data and system controls could lead to data breaches, manipulation of performance metrics, and potential disruption of business operations. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability could access sensitive performance data, modify test configurations, or gain administrative privileges within the Performance Center environment. This could result in compromised testing environments, inaccurate performance reporting, and potential exposure of proprietary performance data. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on Performance Center for critical application performance monitoring and testing activities, potentially exposing them to significant financial and operational risks.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to patched versions of HPE Performance Center to remediate this vulnerability. The affected versions should be taken offline until proper security updates are applied, and network segmentation should be implemented to limit exposure. Security teams should conduct thorough access reviews and monitor for unauthorized access attempts. Network access controls should be strengthened to limit remote access to Performance Center instances, and multi-factor authentication should be implemented where possible. System administrators should also review audit logs for any signs of unauthorized access attempts. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and T1566 which covers credential harvesting, making it a significant concern for organizations following MITRE ATT&CK frameworks. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues in other components of the organization's security infrastructure.