CVE-2018-7116 in Intelligent Management Center
Summary
by MITRE
HPE Intelligent Management Center (IMC) prior to IMC PLAT 7.3 (E0605P06) is vulnerable to a remote denial of service via dbman Opcode 10003 'Filename'. This problem is resolved in IMC PLAT 7.3 (E0605P06) or subsequent versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/12/2023
HPE Intelligent Management Center (IMC) represents a comprehensive network management platform that provides monitoring, configuration, and maintenance capabilities for enterprise networks. The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-7116 affects versions prior to IMC PLAT 7.3 (E0605P06) and specifically targets the database management component known as dbman. This vulnerability manifests through a remote denial of service condition that can be exploited by unauthorized attackers who do not require authentication to execute malicious payloads against the system. The flaw exists within the processing of Opcode 10003 'Filename' commands, which are part of the communication protocol used by the IMC platform for database operations and file management functions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the dbman service component of the IMC platform. When the system receives a specially crafted Opcode 10003 command with malicious filename parameters, the processing logic fails to properly sanitize or validate the input data before attempting to execute database operations. This lack of proper validation creates a condition where an attacker can craft a malicious payload that causes the dbman service to crash or become unresponsive, effectively rendering the database management functionality unavailable to legitimate users. The vulnerability operates at the protocol level and leverages the existing communication channels that the IMC platform uses for administrative operations, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited from external network positions without requiring any prior access credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it affects the core database management capabilities of the IMC platform. Organizations relying on IMC for network monitoring and management would experience complete loss of database functionality, preventing administrators from accessing critical network information, performing configuration changes, or maintaining system integrity. This denial of service condition can persist until the affected service is manually restarted or the system is rebooted, potentially causing extended downtime for network management operations. The vulnerability particularly impacts enterprise environments where IMC is used for critical infrastructure monitoring, as the disruption can cascade to affect network visibility and operational response capabilities across the entire organization.
The remediation for this vulnerability requires upgrading the affected IMC platform to version IMC PLAT 7.3 (E0605P06) or later releases that contain the necessary patches and code modifications to address the input validation flaws. Organizations should implement a comprehensive upgrade strategy that includes thorough testing in non-production environments before deploying patches to production systems. Security teams should also conduct vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of the affected software versions within their network infrastructure and prioritize remediation efforts based on the criticality of the systems involved. The fix implemented in the newer versions addresses the root cause by introducing proper input validation mechanisms that sanitize all incoming filename parameters before processing, preventing the exploitation of the vulnerability through malformed Opcode 10003 commands.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and demonstrates how inadequate sanitization of user-supplied data can lead to critical system failures. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, specifically focusing on network denial of service attacks where attackers target network infrastructure components to disrupt operations. The vulnerability also reflects broader security concerns related to the principle of least privilege, as the system's failure to properly validate inputs allows for unauthorized disruption of critical services that should remain protected from external manipulation. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of the IMC platform to untrusted networks while ensuring that all systems maintain current patch levels to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities.