CVE-2020-7144
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on HPE Intelligent Management Center (iMC) servers through expression language injection in the comparefilesresult function. Attackers can achieve full system compromise without authentication. Organizations running iMC PLAT versions before 7.3 (E0705P07) are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- HPE Intelligent Management Center (iMC)
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system takeover with administrative privileges, enabling data theft, lateral movement, and persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Remote code execution leading to credential harvesting, network reconnaissance, and deployment of ransomware or other malware.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper network segmentation and access controls prevent exploitation attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
CVSS 9.8 indicates trivial exploitation with high impact. While no public PoC exists, the vulnerability type suggests weaponization is likely.
🛠️ 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 documentation. 4. Restart iMC services. 5. Verify successful update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Access Restriction
allRestrict network access to iMC management interface to trusted IP addresses only.
Use firewall rules to limit access to iMC ports (typically 8080, 8443)
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate iMC servers in a dedicated VLAN with strict network segmentation
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block expression language injection patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check iMC version via web interface (Admin → System → About) or command line: imc -versionCheck Version:
imc -versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 7.3 (E0705P07) or later and test comparefilesresult functionality📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual comparefilesresult requests
- Expression language patterns in HTTP parameters
- Unexpected process execution
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to comparefilesresult endpoint with suspicious payloads
- Outbound connections from iMC server to unknown destinations
SIEM Query:
source="iMC_logs" AND (comparefilesresult OR "expression language" OR "${}")