CVE-2023-37293 in MegaRAC_SPx
Summary
by MITRE • 01/10/2024
AMI’s SPx contains a vulnerability in the BMC where an Attacker may cause a stack-based buffer overflow via an adjacent network. A successful exploitation of this vulnerability may lead to a loss of confidentiality, integrity, and/or availability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/27/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-37293 affects AMI's SPx platform management controller implementation, specifically within the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) component. This represents a critical security flaw that exists within the firmware layer of enterprise server infrastructure, where the BMC serves as a dedicated management processor responsible for system monitoring, remote access, and hardware control functions. The vulnerability manifests as a stack-based buffer overflow condition that can be exploited by an attacker positioned within the same network segment, making it particularly concerning for environments where network segmentation is not properly enforced. The BMC's role in system management means that exploitation of this vulnerability could provide attackers with extensive control over the underlying hardware platform, potentially enabling them to manipulate system configurations, access sensitive data, or disrupt service availability.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate input validation within the BMC's processing routines, where user-supplied data is not properly bounds-checked before being copied into fixed-size stack buffers. This classic buffer overflow vulnerability occurs when an attacker can supply more data than the allocated buffer space, causing adjacent memory locations to be overwritten with attacker-controlled content. The stack-based nature of the overflow means that the attacker can potentially overwrite return addresses, function pointers, or other critical stack metadata, enabling arbitrary code execution within the privileged BMC environment. The adjacent network requirement indicates that this vulnerability does not allow for remote exploitation from outside the network perimeter, but rather requires the attacker to have network access to the same broadcast domain as the target system, which significantly reduces the attack surface but does not eliminate the risk.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as the BMC operates with elevated system privileges and has direct access to hardware-level functions. Successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise, allowing attackers to establish persistent backdoors, modify system firmware, or extract confidential information from the target environment. The confidentiality aspect is particularly concerning since the BMC often maintains access to system credentials, hardware configuration details, and other sensitive management data. Integrity violations could enable attackers to modify system settings, disable security features, or corrupt system firmware, while availability impacts could manifest through denial-of-service conditions that prevent legitimate administrators from accessing system management functions. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise server environments where BMC access is critical for remote system administration and monitoring.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-37293 should prioritize immediate firmware updates from AMI to address the buffer overflow condition, while implementing network segmentation to limit access to BMC management interfaces to trusted administrative networks only. Network access control lists should be configured to restrict BMC communication to authorized management workstations, and multi-factor authentication should be enforced for all BMC access points. Additionally, continuous monitoring of BMC network traffic should be implemented to detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121 stack-based buffer overflow conditions and represents a potential pathway for techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under the T1059 execution techniques and T1078 credential access patterns. Organizations should also implement robust patch management processes to ensure timely deployment of security updates and consider conducting penetration testing to verify the effectiveness of implemented mitigations.