CVE-2016-5449 in ILOM
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the ILOM component in Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2 allows remote attackers to affect availability via vectors related to Console Redirection.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/08/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5449 resides within the Integrated Lights Out Manager ILOM component of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite versions 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2. This unspecified weakness specifically impacts the console redirection functionality, creating a potential avenue for remote attackers to compromise system availability. The ILOM component serves as a critical management interface for Oracle Sun servers, providing out-of-band management capabilities that enable administrators to monitor and control hardware components remotely. The console redirection feature allows users to access system console sessions through network connections, making it an essential component for remote system administration and troubleshooting operations.
The technical flaw manifests in the handling of console redirection requests within the ILOM implementation, where insufficient input validation or improper resource management creates opportunities for attackers to exploit the system. This vulnerability type falls under the broader category of availability attacks, meaning that successful exploitation could result in denial of service conditions that prevent legitimate users from accessing critical system management functions. The attack vector specifically relates to network-based exploitation of the console redirection protocol, allowing remote adversaries to potentially disrupt console sessions or exhaust system resources through malformed requests.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise environments that rely heavily on remote system management capabilities. When compromised, the affected ILOM instances could render critical hardware management functions unavailable, potentially preventing administrators from performing essential maintenance, monitoring system health, or responding to emergency situations. The availability impact extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially creating situations where system administrators lose the ability to remotely access servers, which could lead to extended downtime, increased operational costs, and potential business continuity issues. Organizations using Oracle Sun systems in mission-critical environments face particular risk, as the loss of console redirection functionality could severely impact their ability to maintain system uptime and respond to hardware failures.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in relation to CWE-20, which addresses "Improper Input Validation," and potentially CWE-400, which covers "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption." The ATT&CK framework would classify this vulnerability under the T1499.004 technique for "Endpoint Denial of Service" and potentially T1566.001 for "Phishing via Social Engineering" if exploitation involves initial compromise through social engineering tactics. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying Oracle's security patches, implementing network segmentation to limit access to ILOM management interfaces, and monitoring for unusual console redirection activity. Additionally, access controls should be strengthened through multi-factor authentication and limiting administrative privileges to trusted network segments only. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date firmware and security patches in enterprise server environments, particularly for out-of-band management systems that serve as critical infrastructure components for system monitoring and recovery operations.