CVE-2019-5369 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 • 06/20/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-5369 represents a critical remote code execution flaw within HPE Intelligent Management Center (IMC) PLAT software versions prior to 7.3 E0506P09. This vulnerability resides in the web-based management interface of the IMC platform, which serves as a centralized management solution for network infrastructure components including switches, routers, and wireless access points. The affected system operates by providing administrators with a web-based console to manage and monitor network devices across enterprise environments, making it a prime target for attackers seeking persistent access to critical network infrastructure.
The technical flaw manifests through improper input validation within the IMC platform's web application, specifically in how it processes user-supplied parameters during certain administrative operations. This weakness allows an unauthenticated attacker to inject malicious code that executes with the privileges of the web application server. The vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of input parameters that are directly used in system commands or database queries, creating a path for arbitrary code execution. Attackers can exploit this by crafting specially formatted requests that bypass authentication mechanisms and directly invoke system-level operations through the vulnerable web interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations utilizing affected IMC versions. Successful exploitation enables attackers to gain full administrative control over the management platform, potentially leading to complete network compromise. Attackers can execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system, access sensitive configuration data, modify network settings, and establish persistence mechanisms within the environment. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on IMC for network management, potentially exposing critical network infrastructure to unauthorized access and manipulation, with implications for network availability, integrity, and confidentiality. This risk is amplified in environments where the IMC platform serves as a central point of control for multiple network devices.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates to upgrade to IMC version 7.3 E0506P09 or later. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to the IMC management interface to only trusted administrative networks. Additional protective measures include disabling unnecessary services, implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative access, and conducting regular security assessments of the management platform. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-77 and CWE-94 categories, representing command injection and code injection flaws respectively, and maps to ATT&CK techniques including T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions to detect suspicious traffic patterns associated with exploitation attempts and maintain comprehensive incident response procedures for potential compromise scenarios.