CVE-2017-8012 in ViPR SRM
Summary
by MITRE
In EMC ViPR SRM, Storage M&R, VNX M&R, and M&R (Watch4Net) for SAS Solution Packs, the Java Management Extensions (JMX) protocol used to communicate between components in the Alerting and/or Compliance components can be leveraged to create a denial of service (DoS) condition. Attackers with knowledge of JMX agent user credentials could potentially exploit this vulnerability to create arbitrary files on the affected system and create a DoS condition by leveraging inherent JMX protocol capabilities.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/14/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8012 affects several EMC products including ViPR SRM, Storage M&R, VNX M&R, and M&R Watch4Net solutions. This issue resides within the Java Management Extensions protocol implementation used for communication between components in the Alerting and Compliance modules. The flaw represents a significant security concern as it allows authenticated attackers to exploit JMX capabilities to create arbitrary files on the target system, ultimately leading to denial of service conditions. The vulnerability specifically targets the management communication layer between different components of these storage management solutions, creating a pathway for malicious actors to disrupt normal operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the JMX protocol implementation. When legitimate JMX agents are configured with user credentials, attackers who possess these credentials can leverage the inherent capabilities of the JMX protocol to execute malicious operations. The JMX protocol, designed for monitoring and managing Java applications, becomes a vector for file system manipulation when proper restrictions are not enforced. This allows attackers to create arbitrary files on the system, potentially filling disk space or corrupting system resources, which directly impacts system availability and performance. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-22 as "Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')" and CWE-400 as "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption" within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-8012 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the integrity and availability of critical storage management operations. Organizations relying on these EMC solutions for monitoring and managing their storage infrastructure face significant risk as attackers can leverage this vulnerability to create persistent denial of service conditions that may be difficult to detect and remediate. The ability to create arbitrary files on the system provides attackers with a mechanism to consume system resources, potentially leading to complete system unavailability. This vulnerability particularly affects environments where storage management solutions are critical for business operations, as it can lead to extended downtime and potential data loss scenarios. The impact is amplified in enterprise environments where these solutions are integrated with other management systems and monitoring tools.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-8012 should focus on implementing proper access controls and network segmentation for JMX-enabled systems. Organizations should ensure that JMX agents are properly configured with minimal necessary privileges and that authentication mechanisms are robustly enforced. Network-level protections including firewall rules to restrict JMX access to trusted administrative networks should be implemented. Additionally, regular patching and updates from EMC should be prioritized to address this vulnerability. The implementation of monitoring solutions to detect unusual file creation patterns and unauthorized JMX access attempts can provide early warning of potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing principle of least privilege configurations for JMX user accounts and regularly audit JMX access logs to identify any suspicious activities. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1489 which involves creating or manipulating system processes to achieve denial of service conditions. Organizations should also consider disabling JMX interfaces when not actively required for management purposes, and implement comprehensive incident response procedures to address potential exploitation attempts.