CVE-2022-2827 in MegaRAC
Summary
by MITRE • 12/06/2022
AMI MegaRAC User Enumeration Vulnerability
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/31/2022
The CVE-2022-2827 vulnerability represents a critical user enumeration flaw within AMI MegaRAC implementations that exposes underlying authentication mechanisms to unauthorized discovery of valid user accounts. This vulnerability specifically affects remote management interfaces that utilize Advanced Management Interface (AMI) firmware, commonly found in enterprise server and storage systems where out-of-band management capabilities are essential for system maintenance and monitoring operations. The flaw resides in how the MegaRAC firmware handles authentication requests, particularly when processing user validation queries that should normally be protected from pattern analysis by attackers seeking to identify legitimate accounts within the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and response differentiation within the authentication subsystem of the MegaRAC firmware. When legitimate authentication attempts are made against the system, the firmware provides different response patterns or error messages compared to invalid authentication attempts, creating a timing or response-based side-channel that allows attackers to determine whether specific usernames exist within the system. This behavior violates fundamental security principles of authentication system design where all authentication attempts should provide consistent responses to prevent account enumeration attacks. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited through network-based interactions with the remote management interface, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no physical access to the target system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it enables attackers to conduct systematic enumeration campaigns that can lead to successful credential compromise through subsequent brute force or password spraying attacks. Security professionals have identified that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses "Information Exposure," and specifically relates to CWE-201, "Information Exposure Through User Enumeration," making it a direct threat to authentication security controls. The implications are particularly severe in enterprise environments where MegaRAC interfaces are often accessible from external networks or lack proper network segmentation, allowing attackers to systematically probe for valid accounts and potentially gain unauthorized access to critical infrastructure. Organizations with multiple systems running affected MegaRAC firmware face compounded risk as attackers can use the enumerated user accounts to target additional systems within their network.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-2827 should focus on immediate firmware updates provided by AMI and system administrators should implement network-based controls including firewall rules that restrict access to MegaRAC management interfaces to trusted IP addresses only. The implementation of rate limiting and account lockout mechanisms can help reduce the effectiveness of automated enumeration attacks while proper network segmentation ensures that even if one system is compromised, attackers cannot easily move laterally to other systems. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication for all remote management interfaces and conducting regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities within their infrastructure. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date firmware and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that include both network-based controls and application-level security measures to protect against credential-based attacks. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1110, "Brute Force," and T1078, "Valid Accounts," as it enables attackers to establish a foothold through account enumeration before proceeding with more sophisticated attack techniques.