CVE-2017-4976 in ESRS Policy Manager
Summary
by MITRE
EMC ESRS Policy Manager prior to 6.8 contains an undocumented account (OpenDS admin) with a default password. A remote attacker with the knowledge of the default password may login to the system and gain administrator privileges to the local LDAP directory server.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/31/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-4976 affects EMC ESRS Policy Manager versions prior to 6.8, presenting a critical security flaw that stems from improper configuration and lack of secure default settings. This issue resides within the system's authentication mechanism where an undocumented administrative account named "OpenDS admin" exists with a hardcoded default password. The presence of such a backdoor account represents a fundamental violation of security best practices and creates an inherent risk that persists across all affected installations without proper patching or configuration changes.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the inclusion of a privileged account within the software distribution that operates outside normal user management procedures. This account is not documented in standard administrative guides or security documentation, making it invisible to legitimate administrators who would typically perform security reviews. The default password associated with this account creates a predictable authentication vector that allows unauthorized parties to gain immediate administrative access to the local LDAP directory server. This flaw directly relates to CWE-798, which addresses the use of hard-coded credentials, and CWE-259, concerning the use of hard-coded passwords, both of which are classified as high-risk vulnerabilities in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a severe risk landscape for organizations utilizing affected EMC ESRS Policy Manager systems. The remote attack vector means that an attacker with minimal reconnaissance can potentially gain full administrative control over the LDAP directory server, which typically contains sensitive authentication and authorization information for multiple systems. This access could enable lateral movement within the network, privilege escalation to other systems, and potential data exfiltration from the directory service. The impact extends beyond immediate system compromise as LDAP servers often serve as central authentication points for enterprise environments, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations with interconnected systems and services.
The attack surface for this vulnerability aligns with several techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to credential access and privilege escalation. Attackers can leverage this flaw through initial access techniques that involve reconnaissance and enumeration of system components to discover the presence of the undocumented account. Once the default credentials are utilized, the attacker can employ privilege escalation methods to maintain persistent access and potentially move laterally within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1078, which covers valid accounts, as the compromised account represents a legitimate administrative account that can be used to maintain access without detection.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-supplied patch to upgrade to EMC ESRS Policy Manager version 6.8 or later, which removes the undocumented account and associated default credentials. System administrators should also conduct comprehensive security audits to identify any potential exploitation attempts and review access logs for signs of unauthorized access. Additional protective measures include implementing network segmentation to limit access to LDAP services, deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for credential-based attacks, and ensuring that all administrative accounts are properly configured with unique, strong passwords. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of secure configuration management and the necessity of regularly reviewing system components for unintended administrative access points that could serve as attack vectors for sophisticated adversaries.