CVE-2017-5818 in Intelligent Management Center PLAT
Summary
by MITRE
A Remote Code Execution vulnerability in HPE Intelligent Management Center (iMC) PLAT version 7.3 E0504P04 was found.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/23/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-5818 represents a critical remote code execution flaw within HPE Intelligent Management Center (iMC) PLAT version 7.3 E0504P04, a widely deployed network management platform used by enterprises for monitoring and managing their IT infrastructure. This vulnerability resides in the web-based management interface of the iMC platform, which serves as the primary administrative gateway for network administrators to configure and monitor their network devices. The flaw specifically affects the platform's handling of user-supplied input within certain web application components, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary code on the target system with the privileges of the web application process.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the iMC web interface, particularly in how the platform processes parameters submitted through HTTP requests. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious HTTP requests that contain specially formatted payloads designed to bypass the platform's security controls. The vulnerability manifests as a classic command injection flaw where user-controllable input is directly incorporated into system commands without proper sanitization, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary system commands on the affected server. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-77 and CWE-94 classifications, representing command injection and code injection weaknesses respectively, which are fundamental security flaws that enable remote code execution in web applications.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-5818 is severe and multifaceted, as successful exploitation provides attackers with complete control over the affected iMC server. This includes the ability to execute arbitrary code, access sensitive configuration data, modify network management policies, and potentially pivot to other systems within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on iMC for network monitoring and management, potentially exposing critical network assets to unauthorized access and manipulation. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access, install backdoors, or use the compromised system as a launch point for further attacks against the broader network environment. The attack surface extends beyond the immediate iMC platform to include all network devices managed through the compromised system, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including applying the vendor-provided security patches released for this vulnerability, which address the input validation issues and strengthen the platform's security controls. Network segmentation and access control measures should be enhanced to limit exposure of the iMC platform to untrusted networks, while implementing robust network monitoring to detect anomalous traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies as outlined in the mitre attack framework, where multiple layers of security controls work together to prevent and detect compromise. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their iMC deployments to identify any potential unauthorized access or modifications that may have occurred prior to patching, as this vulnerability could have been exploited for extended periods without detection.