CVE-2020-24648
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2020-24648 is a critical remote code execution vulnerability in HPE Intelligent Management Center (iMC) that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by sending specially crafted requests to the AccessMgrServlet component. This affects all systems running iMC PLAT versions prior to 7.3 (E0705P07). Attackers can exploit this without authentication to gain complete control of affected systems.
💻 Affected Systems
- HPE Intelligent Management Center (iMC)
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise allowing attackers to install malware, steal sensitive data, pivot to other systems, and maintain persistent access.
Likely Case
Remote code execution leading to system takeover, credential theft, and deployment of ransomware or other malicious payloads.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper network segmentation and access controls prevent exploitation attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires sending a specially crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable servlet endpoint. Multiple public exploits exist.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: iMC PLAT 7.3 (E0705P07) or later
Vendor Advisory: https://support.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docLocale=en_US&docId=emr_na-hpesbnw04036en_us
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download the patch from HPE support portal. 2. Backup current iMC installation. 3. Apply the patch following HPE's installation guide. 4. Restart the iMC service. 5. Verify the patch was applied successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Access Restriction
linuxBlock external access to iMC web interface using firewall rules
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -s trusted_network -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -j DROP
Servlet Disablement
allDisable or restrict access to AccessMgrServlet component
Modify web.xml to remove or restrict AccessMgrServlet mapping
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate iMC systems from untrusted networks
- Deploy web application firewall (WAF) with rules to block deserialization attacks
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check iMC version via web interface or by examining installation directory version filesCheck Version:
Check iMC installation directory for version.txt or run iMC version check utilityVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 7.3 (E0705P07) or later and test that AccessMgrServlet no longer accepts malicious deserialization payloads📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual HTTP POST requests to /imc/accessmgrservlet
- Java deserialization errors in application logs
- Unexpected process creation from iMC service
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing serialized Java objects to iMC endpoints
- Unusual outbound connections from iMC server
SIEM Query:
source="iMC_logs" AND (uri="/imc/accessmgrservlet" OR message="*deserialization*")