CVE-2024-28978 in OpenManage Enterprise
Summary
by MITRE • 05/01/2024
Dell OpenManage Enterprise, versions 3.10 and 4.0, contains an Improper Access Control vulnerability. A high privileged remote attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to unauthorized access to resources.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/01/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-28978 affects Dell OpenManage Enterprise software versions 3.10 and 4.0, representing a critical improper access control flaw that exposes the system to potential exploitation by high-privileged remote attackers. This vulnerability resides within the authentication and authorization mechanisms of the OpenManage Enterprise platform, which serves as a comprehensive systems management solution for Dell hardware infrastructure. The flaw allows malicious actors with elevated privileges to bypass normal access controls and gain unauthorized access to sensitive resources within the managed environment.
The technical implementation of this access control weakness stems from inadequate validation of user permissions and session management within the web-based administration interface. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by leveraging their elevated privileges to manipulate authentication tokens or session identifiers, effectively elevating their access level beyond what should be permitted. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the application layer, where the software's internal access control policies fail to properly enforce resource boundaries and privilege levels. This misconfiguration creates pathways for unauthorized data access, configuration changes, and potential lateral movement within the network infrastructure managed by OpenManage Enterprise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, potentially enabling attackers to compromise the entire managed infrastructure. Remote exploitation allows threat actors to manipulate system configurations, access sensitive operational data, and potentially disrupt business continuity operations. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on Dell OpenManage Enterprise for critical infrastructure management, as it undermines the fundamental security assumptions of the platform's access control model. Organizations may experience unauthorized modification of system settings, exposure of confidential information, and potential disruption of managed services that depend on the integrity of the OpenManage Enterprise environment.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to address the access control implementation flaws. Organizations must implement network segmentation to limit access to OpenManage Enterprise interfaces and enforce strict firewall rules that restrict remote access to authorized administrative networks only. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous authentication patterns and unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization within software systems, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and privilege escalation. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive access control reviews and implement principle of least privilege policies to minimize the potential impact of such vulnerabilities. Regular security assessments of management interfaces and continuous monitoring of authentication logs remain essential defensive measures against exploitation of similar access control weaknesses in enterprise management platforms.