CVE-2017-13983 in BSM Platform Application Performance Management System Health
Summary
by MITRE
An authentication vulnerability in HPE BSM Platform Application Performance Management System Health product versions 9.26, 9.30 and 9.40, allows remote users to bypass authentication.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/20/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-13983 represents a critical authentication flaw within the HPE BSM Platform Application Performance Management System Health product line. This issue affects specific versions including 9.26, 9.30, and 9.40, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on this monitoring infrastructure. The vulnerability stems from improper authentication mechanisms that fail to adequately validate user credentials, allowing unauthorized remote access to sensitive system functionalities. Such a flaw fundamentally undermines the security posture of the affected systems and exposes critical performance management data to potential exploitation.
The technical nature of this authentication bypass vulnerability can be categorized under CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues within software systems. The flaw manifests when remote attackers can exploit weaknesses in the authentication process to gain unauthorized access without proper credentials. This typically occurs through manipulation of authentication tokens, session management, or bypassing validation checks that should occur during user login processes. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not require physical access or local network presence to capitalize on the flaw, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where the system may be exposed to external threats.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-13983 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, potentially enabling attackers to manipulate application performance data, modify system configurations, and gain insights into critical business applications. Organizations utilizing HPE BSM Platform for monitoring enterprise applications face risks including data integrity compromise, system availability disruption, and potential lateral movement within their network infrastructure. The vulnerability directly impacts the principle of least privilege and can lead to privilege escalation scenarios where attackers might gain administrative access to the monitoring platform. This access could enable comprehensive surveillance of application performance metrics, system health indicators, and potentially sensitive business intelligence that the platform is designed to protect.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the ATT&CK framework, particularly under the credential access and privilege escalation tactics. The flaw aligns with techniques involving bypassing authentication mechanisms and can facilitate subsequent attacks through the use of compromised credentials. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches, disabling unnecessary remote access capabilities, and implementing network segmentation to limit exposure. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and the potential consequences of running unsupported or unpatched software versions. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their monitoring infrastructure to identify similar authentication weaknesses and implement robust monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to critical system components.