CVE-2018-6498 in Hybrid Cloud Management Containerized Suite
Summary
by MITRE
Remote Code Execution in the following products Hybrid Cloud Management Containerized Suite HCM2017.11, HCM2018.02, HCM2018.05, Operations Bridge Containerized Suite 2017.11, 2018.02, 2018.05, Data Center Automation Containerized Suite 2017.01 until 2018.05, Service Management Automation Suite 2017.11, 2018.02, 2018.05 and Network Operations Management (NOM) Suite CDF 2017.11, 2018.02, 2018.05 will allow Remote Code Execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-6498 represents a critical remote code execution flaw affecting multiple containerized software suites from a major enterprise software vendor. This vulnerability impacts versions of Hybrid Cloud Management Containerized Suite from 2017.11 through 2018.05, Operations Bridge Containerized Suite across the same version range, Data Center Automation Containerized Suite from 2017.01 through 2018.05, Service Management Automation Suite covering 2017.11, 2018.02, and 2018.05, and Network Operations Management (NOM) Suite CDF versions 2017.11, 2018.02, and 2018.05. The flaw exists within the authentication and authorization mechanisms of these containerized applications, creating a pathway for unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and insufficient access controls within the application's API endpoints and web interfaces. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious requests that bypass authentication mechanisms and directly invoke system functions that should only be accessible to authorized administrators. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-287 which deals with improper authentication issues, specifically focusing on authentication bypass flaws that allow attackers to perform unauthorized actions with the privileges of an authenticated user or even without authentication. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in containerized environments where multiple services may be running with elevated privileges and where container isolation may not adequately protect against such attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-6498 is severe and far-reaching across enterprise environments utilizing the affected software suites. Organizations running these containerized applications face significant risk of complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and potential lateral movement within their network infrastructure. The vulnerability affects multiple product lines, amplifying the attack surface and increasing the likelihood that organizations will be impacted regardless of their specific software deployment. In containerized environments, this vulnerability could enable attackers to gain root access to containers, potentially leading to privilege escalation and access to underlying host systems. The remote nature of the exploit means that attackers do not require physical access to the network or systems, making the attack surface much broader and more difficult to monitor and defend against. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and T1059 which covers command and scripting interpreter, as the exploitation allows for both unauthorized access and subsequent code execution.
Organizations should immediately implement comprehensive mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability. The primary mitigation involves applying vendor-provided patches and updates as soon as they become available, which typically address the authentication bypass mechanisms and strengthen input validation controls. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to affected applications, particularly limiting external exposure of the vulnerable APIs and web interfaces. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual authentication patterns and suspicious API requests that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of the affected software suites within their environment and ensure that proper access controls are implemented. The remediation process should include validating that the patches have been properly applied and that no unauthorized modifications have been made to the affected systems. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to verify that the mitigations are effective and that no other vulnerabilities exist within the containerized environments that could be exploited in conjunction with this flaw.