CVE-2018-5927 in Support Assistant
Summary
by MITRE
HP Support Assistant before 8.7.50.3 allows an unauthorized person with local access to load arbitrary code.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/22/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-5927 affects HP Support Assistant software versions prior to 8.7.50.3, presenting a critical security risk that enables local attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. This flaw represents a significant compromise in the software's security architecture, as it allows unauthorized individuals with local access to manipulate the application's execution flow and potentially gain elevated privileges. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and code loading mechanisms within the HP Support Assistant framework, creating an attack surface that malicious actors can exploit to execute malicious payloads.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the software's failure to properly validate or sanitize code execution requests from local users. When a user with local access interacts with the HP Support Assistant application, the system does not adequately verify the legitimacy of code being loaded or executed, creating opportunities for code injection attacks. This weakness aligns with CWE-94, which describes "Improper Control of Generation of Code" and represents a classic code injection vulnerability that can lead to arbitrary code execution. The flaw specifically manifests when the application processes local code loading operations without sufficient security controls, allowing an attacker to manipulate the execution environment through crafted inputs or file modifications.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses substantial risks to enterprise environments where HP Support Assistant is deployed across multiple systems. Local privilege escalation becomes possible, potentially enabling attackers to gain administrative access to affected machines and subsequently compromise entire network segments. The attack vector requires only local access, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by insiders or individuals who have already gained physical or network access to target systems. This vulnerability impacts organizations using HP hardware support tools and can facilitate lateral movement within networks where multiple systems are running vulnerable versions of the software. The exploitability factor is high due to the requirement for only local access, and the potential impact includes complete system compromise and data exfiltration.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to HP Support Assistant version 8.7.50.3 or later, which contains patches addressing this vulnerability. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as privileged access management, code integrity monitoring, and regular vulnerability assessments to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of updated software versions to ensure compatibility with existing IT infrastructure. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts using endpoint detection and response tools, particularly focusing on unusual code loading activities or unexpected process execution patterns. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security software and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against local privilege escalation attacks. The incident underscores the necessity of regular security patch management and continuous monitoring of software components that handle code execution or loading operations. Organizations should also consider implementing application control policies and restricting local user privileges to minimize the potential impact of similar vulnerabilities in other software components.