CVE-2017-8987 in integrated Lights Out
Summary
by MITRE
A Unauthenticated Remote Denial of Service vulnerability was identified in HPE Integrated Lights-Out 3 (iLO 3) version v1.88 only. The vulnerability is resolved in iLO3 v1.89 or subsequent versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/10/2023
The vulnerability described in CVE-2017-8987 represents a critical unauthenticated remote denial of service weakness affecting HPE Integrated Lights-Out 3 management interface version 1.88. This issue specifically targets the remote management capabilities of HPE servers, which are essential for system administration and monitoring in enterprise environments. The vulnerability exists within the iLO 3 firmware implementation and allows attackers to disrupt service availability without requiring any authentication credentials, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where such management interfaces are accessible.
The technical flaw manifests as a failure in the iLO 3 firmware to properly validate incoming requests or handle specific protocol interactions that lead to system resource exhaustion or process termination. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of CWE-400, which encompasses weaknesses related to resource exhaustion and improper handling of input data. The vulnerability enables an attacker to send specially crafted requests that cause the iLO 3 management processor to crash or become unresponsive, effectively rendering the remote management capabilities unavailable. This disruption can occur through manipulation of protocol parameters or by exploiting gaps in request processing logic that prevent proper state management.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise enterprise infrastructure management capabilities. Organizations relying on HPE iLO 3 for remote server administration face significant risks when this vulnerability is exploited, as it can prevent critical maintenance operations, system monitoring, and emergency response procedures. The unauthenticated nature of the attack means that any network-connected system with the vulnerable iLO 3 firmware could be targeted, potentially affecting large-scale deployments where multiple servers are managed through centralized interfaces. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability component of the CIA triad and can be leveraged as part of broader attack campaigns targeting system reliability and operational continuity.
Security professionals should prioritize immediate remediation of affected systems by upgrading to iLO 3 firmware version 1.89 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the denial of service vulnerability. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of the updated firmware in controlled environments before deployment to production systems to ensure compatibility with existing management workflows. Additional mitigations may include network segmentation to limit access to iLO 3 management interfaces, implementation of network access controls to restrict communication to trusted sources, and monitoring for unusual traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to identify potential exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date firmware for critical infrastructure components and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.001 which covers network denial of service attacks targeting infrastructure management systems.