CVE-2017-12498 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.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-12498 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, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to compromise large-scale network infrastructures. The vulnerability resides in the platform's handling of user input within specific administrative functions, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary code on the affected system with the privileges of the running process. The flaw specifically impacts the authentication and authorization mechanisms that govern administrative access to the iMC platform, potentially allowing unauthenticated attackers to gain full administrative control over the management center. This represents a severe security weakness that could enable attackers to manipulate network configurations, steal sensitive data, or establish persistent access points within enterprise networks. The vulnerability affects organizations relying on HPE iMC for their network management operations, potentially exposing critical infrastructure to unauthorized access and control.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the iMC platform's administrative interfaces, particularly in how the system processes user-supplied parameters during authentication and session management operations. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting specially malformed requests that bypass normal authentication checks and inject malicious code into the system. The flaw manifests as a buffer overflow or injection vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution, enabling attackers to execute commands with elevated privileges on the target system. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command, which encompasses command injection flaws that allow attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the target system. The attack vector requires network access to the affected system and can be executed remotely without requiring prior authentication, making it particularly dangerous for systems exposed to external networks. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the privileged nature of the iMC platform, which typically runs with elevated system permissions necessary for network management functions.
The operational consequences of CVE-2017-12498 extend far beyond simple unauthorized access, potentially enabling attackers to establish persistent backdoors, exfiltrate sensitive network configuration data, or manipulate network traffic flows. Organizations using affected iMC versions face significant risk of network compromise, as the platform typically serves as a central management point for multiple network devices, making it a valuable target for attackers seeking to expand their access within the enterprise network. The vulnerability could enable attackers to perform reconnaissance activities, identify network topology details, and map out connected devices, providing them with comprehensive knowledge of the target environment. From an attack chain perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter, allowing threat actors to execute commands through the compromised management center. The impact on business continuity is substantial, as successful exploitation could lead to network outages, data breaches, or complete compromise of the network management infrastructure. Organizations may experience extended detection times due to the legitimate administrative access patterns that these attacks could mimic, complicating incident response efforts.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to HPE Intelligent Management Center PLAT version 7.3 E0506 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the vulnerability. System administrators should also implement network segmentation to limit access to the iMC platform, restrict remote access where possible, and deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious activities. The patch release addresses the root cause by implementing proper input validation and sanitization of user-supplied parameters, ensuring that malicious payloads cannot be executed through the vulnerable interfaces. Additional defensive measures include implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative access, conducting regular security assessments of the management platform, and monitoring system logs for unusual authentication patterns or command execution activities. Organizations should also consider implementing network access controls to restrict access to the iMC platform to authorized administrative workstations only, reducing the attack surface for remote exploitation attempts. Security teams should establish monitoring procedures specifically designed to detect exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability, including analyzing network traffic for malformed requests or unusual command execution patterns that may indicate an active attack.