CVE-2019-11960 in Intelligent Management Center PLAT
Summary
by MITRE
A remote code execution vulnerability was identified in HPE Intelligent Management Center (IMC) PLAT earlier than version 7.3 E0506P09.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/19/2020
The vulnerability CVE-2019-11960 represents a critical remote code execution flaw discovered in HPE Intelligent Management Center IMC PLAT software versions prior to 7.3 E0506P09. This vulnerability resides within the web-based management interface of the IMC platform, which serves as a centralized network management solution for enterprise environments. The affected system operates as a comprehensive network monitoring and management tool that aggregates data from various network devices and provides administrative capabilities through its web interface. Organizations relying on this platform for network infrastructure management face significant risk exposure when operating vulnerable versions, as the flaw could be exploited by attackers without requiring authentication credentials.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the web application layer of the IMC platform. Specifically, the flaw occurs in how the system processes user-supplied data through HTTP parameters that are not adequately sanitized before being processed by the backend components. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that exploit this weakness by injecting arbitrary commands through carefully constructed HTTP requests. The vulnerability manifests as a command injection flaw that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on the target system with the privileges of the web application user. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-77 and CWE-94 within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework, which categorizes it as a command injection vulnerability that can lead to arbitrary code execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data compromise, as successful exploitation can result in complete system takeover and persistent access to enterprise networks. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can gain administrative control over the IMC platform, potentially leading to unauthorized access to network monitoring data, modification of network configurations, and use of the compromised system as a launch point for lateral movement within the enterprise network. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that IMC platforms are typically deployed in mission-critical network environments where they serve as central points of administration and monitoring. According to ATT&CK framework categorization, this vulnerability maps to T1059.001 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell) and T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation) techniques, indicating the potential for attackers to leverage this flaw for privilege escalation and persistence within the network environment.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by upgrading to HPE IMC PLAT version 7.3 E0506P09 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. Additionally, network segmentation strategies should be implemented to limit access to the IMC platform to only authorized administrative users and systems. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious HTTP requests and command execution patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of implementing robust input validation controls and following secure coding practices to prevent similar issues in network management applications. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any other potentially affected systems and ensure that all network management tools are kept current with the latest security patches to maintain effective defense against similar threats.