CVE-2017-5819 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-2017-5819 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 a central hub for network administrators to configure and monitor various network devices. The flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code on the target system with the privileges of the web server process, potentially enabling full system compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive network data.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the iMC platform's web application components, specifically affecting the handling of user-supplied data in certain API endpoints. Attackers can exploit this weakness by sending maliciously crafted requests to the affected web service, which then processes the input without proper sanitization, leading to code injection. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-94, which describes "Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell" and T1059.001 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript" as attackers may leverage the injected code to establish persistence and escalate privileges within the compromised environment.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-5819 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it provides attackers with the capability to completely compromise the iMC platform and potentially use it as a launching point for further attacks within the enterprise network. Since iMC systems typically maintain administrative privileges and have access to critical network infrastructure information, successful exploitation could enable attackers to gain visibility into network topology, access sensitive configuration data, and potentially pivot to other systems within the network. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations using HPE iMC PLAT 7.3 E0504P04, which was a commonly deployed version in enterprise environments, making it a prime target for cybercriminals seeking to exploit network management systems for broader network infiltration.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies including applying the official HPE security patches released in response to this CVE, implementing network segmentation to limit access to the iMC platform, and deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and vulnerability management programs, as the flaw existed in a widely used enterprise management platform and demonstrates how critical infrastructure components can become attractive targets for attackers. Network administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls and restricting access to the iMC management interface to trusted IP addresses only, while ensuring proper monitoring and logging of all administrative activities to detect potential exploitation attempts.