CVE-2018-5488 in SANtricity Web Services Proxy
Summary
by MITRE
NetApp SANtricity Web Services Proxy versions 1.10.x000.0002 through 2.12.X000.0002 and SANtricity Storage Manager 11.30.0X00.0004 through 11.42.0X00.0001 ship with the Java Management Extension Remote Method Invocation (JMX RMI) service bound to the network, and are susceptible to unauthenticated remote code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/19/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-5488 affects NetApp SANtricity Web Services Proxy and Storage Manager products, representing a critical security flaw that allows unauthenticated remote code execution through the Java Management Extension Remote Method Invocation service. This issue stems from the improper configuration of the JMX RMI service which is bound to network interfaces, making it accessible from external networks without authentication requirements. The affected versions span multiple release series including 1.10.x000.0002 through 2.12.X000.0002 for the Web Services Proxy and 11.30.0X00.0004 through 11.42.0X00.0001 for the Storage Manager, indicating a widespread exposure across different product iterations.
The technical flaw resides in the default configuration of the JMX RMI service within these NetApp products, where the service listens on network ports without proper authentication mechanisms or access controls. This configuration allows any remote attacker to connect to the JMX RMI endpoint and execute arbitrary code on the target system with the privileges of the running service. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it does not require any authentication credentials, making it an attractive target for automated exploitation tools. This flaw maps directly to CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling) as it allows unauthorized access to system resources and enables remote code execution capabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations using affected NetApp storage systems. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can gain complete control over the affected storage appliances, potentially leading to data theft, data corruption, system compromise, and disruption of critical storage services. The vulnerability affects the core management infrastructure of storage systems, meaning that successful exploitation could allow attackers to manipulate storage configurations, access sensitive data stored on the systems, or use the compromised appliances as launching points for further attacks within the network infrastructure. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: Python) and T1078.004 (Valid Accounts: Cloud Accounts) when attackers leverage the compromised systems for additional malicious activities.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations to address this vulnerability by configuring the JMX RMI service to only listen on localhost interfaces, disabling the service entirely if not required, or implementing proper network segmentation to restrict access to the affected systems. Network administrators should also consider implementing firewall rules to block access to the specific JMX RMI ports, typically 1099 and other dynamically assigned ports. The recommended approach includes reviewing and modifying the JMX configuration files to ensure that the service is not exposed to external networks, as well as applying the official security patches provided by NetApp. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive network monitoring to detect any unauthorized access attempts or anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts against these vulnerable systems.