CVE-2017-9294 in Device Manager
Summary
by MITRE
RMI vulnerability in Hitachi Device Manager before 8.5.2-01 allows remote attackers to execute internal commands without authentication via RMI ports.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/03/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9294 represents a critical remote code execution flaw within Hitachi Device Manager software versions prior to 8.5.2-01. This issue stems from improper authentication mechanisms in the Remote Method Invocation (RMI) ports, which are commonly used for distributed computing applications. The flaw allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute internal commands directly on the target system, effectively bypassing normal security controls and access restrictions that should protect the device management infrastructure.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control in software systems, and specifically demonstrates weaknesses in authentication and authorization mechanisms. RMI ports typically require proper authentication before allowing method invocations, but in this case, the Hitachi Device Manager implementation failed to enforce adequate security checks. Attackers can exploit this by connecting to the RMI ports and invoking internal methods that should only be accessible to authorized administrators, potentially gaining full control over the managed devices and their configurations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the affected systems. This capability allows threat actors to manipulate device configurations, extract sensitive data, install malicious software, or even create persistent backdoors within the device management environment. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on Hitachi Device Manager for their storage infrastructure management, potentially compromising entire storage networks if multiple devices are affected. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries do not need physical access to the systems, making the exploitation process both convenient and difficult to detect.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to Hitachi Device Manager version 8.5.2-01 or later, which contains the necessary security patches. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to RMI ports, limiting connections to trusted administrative workstations only. Additionally, monitoring network traffic for unusual RMI port activity can help detect potential exploitation attempts. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.001 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell) and T1021.001 (Remote Services: Remote Desktop Protocol) through the execution of commands on compromised systems, while also aligning with T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) if attackers use DNS tunneling to communicate with compromised devices. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any remaining exposed RMI ports or other similar vulnerabilities within the organization's infrastructure.