CVE-2024-42500 in HP-UX ONCplus
Summary
by MITRE • 09/09/2024
HPE has identified a denial of service vulnerability in HPE HP-UX System's Network File System (NFSv4) services.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/11/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-42500 represents a critical denial of service weakness within the Network File System version 4 implementation of HPE HP-UX operating systems. This flaw specifically affects the NFSv4 services that are integral to enterprise file sharing and storage infrastructure, potentially compromising the availability of critical business data and applications. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and error handling mechanisms within the NFSv4 service implementation, creating opportunities for malicious actors to disrupt normal system operations through carefully crafted network requests.
Technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when malformed or specially constructed NFSv4 requests are sent to affected HP-UX systems, causing the NFS service to enter an unstable state or crash entirely. The flaw manifests as a failure to properly handle certain edge cases in the protocol implementation, leading to resource exhaustion or infinite loops within the service processes. This behavior aligns with CWE-400, which catalogs weaknesses related to resource exhaustion, and CWE-691, which addresses inadequate input validation leading to uncontrolled resource consumption. The vulnerability impacts the fundamental availability of networked file services, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where continuous access to shared storage is critical for business operations.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-42500 extends beyond simple service disruption, potentially affecting business continuity and data availability across entire organizational networks. When exploited, this vulnerability can cause cascading failures in systems that depend on NFSv4 for file access, particularly in mission-critical environments such as financial services, healthcare systems, or manufacturing operations where uninterrupted access to shared data repositories is essential. The attack surface includes any system running affected HP-UX versions with NFSv4 services enabled, making it a widespread concern for organizations maintaining legacy infrastructure. This vulnerability also creates opportunities for attackers to leverage the service disruption as a precursor to more sophisticated attacks, potentially aligning with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which covers network denial of service attacks.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches from HPE, disabling unnecessary NFSv4 services when not required, and implementing network segmentation to limit exposure. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security controls in legacy systems, particularly those running older operating systems like HP-UX where security updates may be less frequent. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous NFSv4 traffic patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts, while access controls should be tightened to ensure only authorized systems can communicate with NFS services. Additionally, implementing redundant file sharing solutions and maintaining backup access methods can help minimize business impact during remediation efforts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the ongoing security challenges in maintaining legacy enterprise systems and the critical need for comprehensive vulnerability management programs that address both current and emerging threats in complex IT environments.