CVE-2018-1244 in iDRAC7
Summary
by MITRE
Dell EMC iDRAC7/iDRAC8, versions prior to 2.60.60.60, and iDRAC9 versions prior to 3.21.21.21 contain a command injection vulnerability in the SNMP agent. A remote authenticated malicious iDRAC user with configuration privileges could potentially exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary commands on the iDRAC where SNMP alerting is enabled.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/23/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1244 affects Dell EMC iDRAC7, iDRAC8, and iDRAC9 management controllers, representing a critical command injection flaw within the SNMP agent component. This vulnerability stems from improper input validation and sanitization within the SNMP alerting functionality, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary commands on the affected systems. The flaw specifically impacts versions prior to 2.60.60.60 for iDRAC7/iDRAC8 and 3.21.21.21 for iDRAC9, highlighting the importance of timely patch management for enterprise infrastructure components. The vulnerability exists in the context of remote authenticated access, meaning that an attacker must already possess valid credentials with configuration privileges to exploit this weakness, though this access level is typically restricted to authorized personnel within enterprise environments.
The technical implementation of this command injection vulnerability occurs within the SNMP agent's handling of alerting parameters, where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized before being processed by the system's command execution engine. When SNMP alerts are configured and triggered, the vulnerable code fails to adequately validate or escape special characters in the input data, allowing attackers to inject malicious commands that get executed within the context of the iDRAC's operating system. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-77, Command Injection, which is classified as a high-severity weakness in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog. The attack vector requires a malicious user to have authenticated access to the iDRAC interface with sufficient privileges to modify SNMP configuration settings, making this a privilege escalation vulnerability that leverages existing authentication mechanisms to gain unauthorized command execution capabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple command execution, as it provides attackers with potential access to the underlying operating system of the iDRAC controller. This access could enable attackers to modify system configurations, extract sensitive information, disable security features, or establish persistent access points within the enterprise network. The iDRAC management controllers serve as critical infrastructure components for remote system management, making them attractive targets for attackers seeking to maintain long-term access to enterprise environments. The vulnerability's presence in SNMP alerting functionality is particularly concerning because SNMP is widely used for network monitoring and management, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate legitimate alerting mechanisms to mask their activities or redirect notifications to unauthorized parties. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, where adversaries execute commands through system interfaces, and T1566.002 for Phishing via Social Engineering, as the vulnerability may be exploited through legitimate management workflows.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the vendor-provided patches for iDRAC7/iDRAC8 versions 2.60.60.60 and above, and iDRAC9 versions 3.21.21.21 and above. Network segmentation and access control measures should be enforced to limit the scope of potential exploitation, particularly restricting access to iDRAC management interfaces to authorized personnel only. Monitoring of SNMP alerting configurations and unusual command execution patterns should be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of securing remote management interfaces and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of management components that handle user input. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular security assessments of their remote management infrastructure to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by malicious actors, as the nature of command injection vulnerabilities makes them particularly dangerous when combined with authentication mechanisms that are commonly accessible within enterprise environments.