CVE-2017-12490 in iMC PLAT
Summary
by MITRE
A Remote Code Execution vulnerability in HPE Intelligent Management Center (iMC) PLAT version PLAT 7.3 (E0504) was found. The problem was resolved in HPE Intelligent Management Center PLAT v7.3 (E0506) or any subsequent version.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-12490 represents a critical remote code execution flaw within HPE Intelligent Management Center PLAT version 7.3 E0504. This enterprise-grade network management platform serves as a comprehensive solution for monitoring and managing HPE networking equipment across large-scale deployments. The vulnerability specifically resides in the platform's handling of certain network protocols and administrative functions that are exposed to remote attackers. The flaw enables malicious actors to execute arbitrary code on the target system without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where such platforms typically operate with elevated privileges and access to critical network infrastructure.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and improper handling of network requests within the iMC platform's communication stack. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting specially malformed network packets or HTTP requests that bypass normal authentication mechanisms and directly invoke system-level functions. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and may also relate to CWE-79, representing cross-site scripting vulnerabilities that can be leveraged for privilege escalation. The exploitation process typically involves sending malicious payloads through standard network management protocols that the platform uses to communicate with network devices, allowing attackers to gain full control over the iMC server and potentially compromise the entire network management infrastructure.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe threat to enterprise network security and business continuity. Organizations relying on HPE iMC for network management face potential exposure to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and disruption of critical network services. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers can exploit it from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the network, making it particularly attractive to sophisticated threat actors. Network administrators may experience unauthorized access to sensitive network configuration data, ability to manipulate network device settings, and potential use of the compromised platform as a launch point for further attacks within the enterprise network. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1059, which covers command and script injection, and T1068, involving exploit for privilege escalation.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to HPE Intelligent Management Center PLAT version 7.3 E0506 or later, which contains the necessary security patches to address this vulnerability. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to the iMC platform's administrative interfaces, limiting exposure to only trusted network segments. Additional protective measures include implementing network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, conducting regular security assessments of the platform, and maintaining comprehensive backup and recovery procedures. Security teams should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems specifically configured to identify and block exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability, as well as establishing incident response protocols that account for potential compromise of network management systems. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of maintaining current security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies for enterprise network management platforms.