CVE-2020-5208 – CVE-2020-5208 is a buffer overflow vulnerabilit... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-5208?

CVE-2020-5208 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (HIGH). CVE-2020-5208 is a buffer overflow vulnerability in ipmitool that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on systems running vulnerable versions. This affects systems using ipmitool before version 1.8.19, especially when run with privileged access. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation when processing data from remote LAN connections.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2020-5208 is a buffer overflow vulnerability in ipmitool that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on systems running vulnerable versions. This affects systems using ipmitool before version 1.8.19, especially when run with privileged access. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation when processing data from remote LAN connections.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

ipmitool

Versions: All versions before 1.8.19

Operating Systems: Linux, Unix-like systems

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Most vulnerable when ipmitool is used with remote LAN functionality and runs with elevated privileges.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution with root privileges leading to complete system compromise, data theft, and persistent backdoor installation.

🟠

Likely Case

Remote code execution with the privileges of the ipmitool process, potentially leading to privilege escalation if ipmitool runs as root.

🟢

If Mitigated

Denial of service or limited impact if ipmitool runs with minimal privileges and proper network segmentation is in place.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - While ipmitool is typically used internally, exposed IPMI interfaces could be targeted if accessible from the internet.

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Internal attackers or compromised systems could exploit this to gain privileged access to other systems in the network.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires network access to the ipmitool service. Public proof-of-concept code exists in security advisories.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 1.8.19

Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/ipmitool/ipmitool/security/advisories/GHSA-g659-9qxw-p7cp

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Update ipmitool to version 1.8.19 or later using your distribution's package manager. 2. For Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt update && sudo apt install ipmitool. 3. For RHEL/CentOS: sudo yum update ipmitool. 4. For source installation: Download from GitHub and compile.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict network access

linux

Limit network access to ipmitool services using firewall rules to only trusted IP addresses.

iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 623 -s trusted_ip -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 623 -j DROP

Run with reduced privileges

linux

Configure ipmitool to run with non-root privileges where possible.

chown nonrootuser:nonrootgroup /usr/bin/ipmitool
setcap cap_net_raw+ep /usr/bin/ipmitool

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Disable remote LAN functionality in ipmitool configuration if not required.
Implement strict network segmentation to isolate systems using ipmitool from untrusted networks.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check ipmitool version: ipmitool -V | grep -E '1\.8\.(1[0-8]|[0-9])'

Check Version:

ipmitool -V

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify version is 1.8.19 or later: ipmitool -V | grep -E '1\.8\.(19|[2-9][0-9])'

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual process creation from ipmitool
Failed authentication attempts to IPMI interfaces
Buffer overflow warnings in system logs

Network Indicators:

Unusual traffic to port 623 (IPMI) from unexpected sources
Malformed IPMI packets

SIEM Query:

source="ipmitool.log" AND (event_type="buffer_overflow" OR process_name="sh" OR process_name="bash")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-5208

CVSS v3 Score: 7.7 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N

CWE: CWE-120

Published: February 5, 2020

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-02/msg00031.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/ipmitool/ipmitool/commit/e824c23316ae50beb7f7488f2055ac65e8b341f2 Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/ipmitool/ipmitool/security/advisories/GHSA-g659-9qxw-p7cp Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/02/msg00006.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/06/msg00029.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/K2BPW66KDP4H36AGZXLED57A3O2Y6EQW/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RYYEKUAUTCWICM77HOEGZDVVEUJLP4BP/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-03 Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-02/msg00031.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/ipmitool/ipmitool/commit/e824c23316ae50beb7f7488f2055ac65e8b341f2 Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/ipmitool/ipmitool/security/advisories/GHSA-g659-9qxw-p7cp Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/02/msg00006.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/06/msg00029.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/K2BPW66KDP4H36AGZXLED57A3O2Y6EQW/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RYYEKUAUTCWICM77HOEGZDVVEUJLP4BP/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-03 Third Party Advisory

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