CVE-2024-42018 in Eviden SMC xScale
Summary
by MITRE • 10/11/2024
An issue was discovered in Atos Eviden SMC xScale before 1.6.6. During initialization of nodes, some configuration parameters are retrieved from management nodes. These parameters embed credentials whose integrity and confidentiality may be important to the security of the HPC configuration. Because these parameters are needed for initialization, there is no available mechanism to ensure access control on the management node, and a mitigation measure is normally put in place to prevent access to unprivileged users. It was discovered that this mitigation measure does not survive a reboot of diskful nodes. (Diskless nodes are not at risk.) The mistake lies in the cloudinit configuration: the iptables configuration should have been in the bootcmd instead of the runcmd section.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-42018 affects Atos Eviden SMC xScale versions prior to 1.6.6 and represents a critical access control flaw within High Performance Computing environments. This issue stems from improper handling of configuration parameters during node initialization processes, specifically impacting diskful nodes that require persistent storage capabilities. The flaw creates a persistent security weakness that undermines the integrity and confidentiality of embedded credentials, which are essential for maintaining secure HPC cluster operations and protecting sensitive computational resources.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the cloudinit configuration framework where network access controls are misconfigured during the boot process. During node initialization, management nodes provide configuration parameters that contain sensitive credentials necessary for proper system operation. These parameters are retrieved and processed through a cloudinit configuration mechanism that incorrectly places iptables firewall rules in the runcmd section rather than the bootcmd section. This placement error results in the security controls not being properly enforced during the critical early boot phase, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive configuration data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential exposure, as it creates persistent access vectors that survive system reboots and can compromise the entire HPC infrastructure. Diskful nodes are particularly vulnerable because they maintain persistent storage and configuration state, making them susceptible to credential leakage that persists across reboots. This weakness effectively neutralizes normally implemented security measures that would typically prevent unauthorized access to management node resources, potentially allowing attackers to escalate privileges and gain deeper access to the HPC cluster environment.
The mitigation approach for this vulnerability requires immediate patching of affected systems to version 1.6.6 or later, which properly addresses the cloudinit configuration error by relocating iptables rules to the appropriate bootcmd section. Additionally, system administrators should implement comprehensive monitoring of network access patterns to detect potential unauthorized access attempts and ensure that all nodes maintain proper access control enforcement. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues and represents a specific implementation flaw in the ATT&CK technique T1068, which involves privilege escalation through local system access. Organizations should also consider implementing additional network segmentation and credential rotation procedures to minimize potential impact from similar configuration errors in other system components.