CVE-2017-13985 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 traverse directory leading to disclosure of information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/20/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-13985 represents a critical directory traversal flaw within the HPE BSM Platform Application Performance Management System Health product. This authentication weakness affects specific versions including 9.26, 9.30, and 9.40, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on this platform for performance monitoring and management. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit improper input validation mechanisms that fail to adequately sanitize user-supplied data, allowing malicious actors to manipulate file path references and gain unauthorized access to sensitive system resources. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-22 category for Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory, commonly known as Path Traversal, which is classified as a fundamental weakness in software security design.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of file paths within the application's request processing pipeline. When legitimate users submit requests containing file path parameters, the system fails to properly validate or sanitize these inputs before processing them, creating opportunities for attackers to inject malicious path sequences such as "../" or similar traversal patterns. This allows unauthorized access to files and directories outside the intended application scope, potentially exposing configuration files, log data, user credentials, and other sensitive information stored within the system's file structure. The vulnerability specifically impacts the health monitoring capabilities of the platform, which typically contains critical operational data about system performance, resource utilization, and application behavior that could be leveraged for further attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with potential access to comprehensive system health data that could reveal network topology, application dependencies, and performance characteristics. This intelligence gathering capability enables adversaries to plan more sophisticated attacks against the organization's infrastructure, potentially leading to privilege escalation, system compromise, or lateral movement within the network. The remote nature of the vulnerability means that attackers do not require physical access to the system or prior authentication credentials to exploit the flaw, significantly increasing the attack surface and potential damage. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) and T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application) techniques, demonstrating how attackers can leverage such flaws to gather system information and establish persistent access.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates, implementing network segmentation to limit access to the affected system, and configuring proper input validation controls. The recommended approach involves strengthening the application's input sanitization mechanisms to prevent path traversal attacks, implementing proper authentication and authorization controls, and conducting thorough security assessments of all system components. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls, monitoring for suspicious path traversal attempts, and establishing incident response procedures to quickly address potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should also review and update their vulnerability management processes to ensure timely patch deployment and maintain awareness of similar vulnerabilities in other components of their technology stack.