CVE-2017-8958 in Intelligent Management Center
Summary
by MITRE
A Remote Code Execution vulnerability in HPE Intelligent Management Center (iMC) PLAT version 7.3 E0504P04 and earlier was found.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/04/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8958 represents a critical remote code execution flaw within HPE Intelligent Management Center platform version 7.3 E0504P04 and earlier releases. This vulnerability resides in the web interface component of the iMC platform, which serves as the central management system for HPE networking equipment and services. The affected system operates as a comprehensive network management solution that aggregates data from various network devices and provides centralized monitoring, configuration, and administration capabilities across enterprise networks. The flaw specifically impacts the platform's handling of user-supplied input within its web-based administrative interface, creating a pathway for unauthenticated attackers 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 within the iMC platform's web server components. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious HTTP requests that contain specially formatted payloads designed to bypass authentication mechanisms and directly invoke system commands through vulnerable application functions. The vulnerability manifests as a classic command injection flaw where user-controllable input parameters are improperly escaped or filtered before being processed by the underlying operating system commands. This allows an attacker to append arbitrary commands to legitimate system operations, effectively enabling remote code execution without requiring valid credentials or prior access to the system. The flaw operates at the application layer and leverages the platform's legitimate administrative functionality to execute malicious code, making detection particularly challenging as the activity appears to originate from legitimate administrative processes.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-8958 extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, as successful exploitation provides attackers with complete control over the affected iMC platform and potentially the entire network infrastructure it manages. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can gain persistent access to the management system, allowing them to monitor network traffic, modify configurations, escalate privileges, and establish backdoors for continued access. The implications are particularly severe for enterprise environments where iMC platforms serve as central points of administration for critical network infrastructure, as the compromise of such systems can lead to widespread network disruption, data exfiltration, and complete loss of network management capabilities. Additionally, the vulnerability affects organizations that rely on iMC for compliance monitoring and security policy enforcement, potentially allowing attackers to bypass security controls and undermine the integrity of the entire network management ecosystem.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches released by HPE to address the command injection vulnerability in the iMC platform. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of the iMC platform to untrusted networks, while implementing network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their iMC installations to identify systems running affected versions and establish network-based detection rules targeting known exploitation patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-77 and CWE-78 categories related to command injection flaws, and corresponds to attack techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1059 for command and script injection. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting controls and regular security audits of administrative interfaces to prevent similar vulnerabilities from remaining undetected in other components of their network management infrastructure.