CVE-2020-7160
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2020-7160 is a critical expression language injection vulnerability in HPE Intelligent Management Center (iMC) that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability affects 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 with attacker gaining root/administrator privileges, deploying ransomware, exfiltrating sensitive data, and using the system as a pivot point for lateral movement.
Likely Case
Remote code execution leading to installation of backdoors, credential theft, and deployment of cryptocurrency miners or other malware.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper network segmentation, web application firewalls, and intrusion detection systems are in place to block exploitation attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Multiple public exploit scripts are available. The vulnerability is easily exploitable with minimal technical skill required.
🛠️ 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 patch installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Access Control
linuxRestrict network access to iMC management interface to trusted IP addresses only
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -s trusted_ip_range -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -j DROP
Web Application Firewall
allDeploy WAF rules to block expression language injection patterns
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate the iMC server in a dedicated network segment with strict firewall rules
- Implement network-based intrusion detection/prevention systems to monitor for exploitation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check iMC version via web interface or configuration files. Versions prior to 7.3 (E0705P07) are vulnerable.Check Version:
Check iMC installation directory for version files or use web interface at https://[iMC-server]:8080/imcVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 7.3 (E0705P07) or later and test that expression language injection attempts are properly rejected.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to iMC endpoints containing expression language syntax
- Multiple failed authentication attempts followed by successful exploitation patterns
- System process creation from iMC web service account
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing ${, #{, or other expression language markers to iMC ports
- Outbound connections from iMC server to suspicious external IPs
SIEM Query:
source="iMC-logs" AND (http_uri="*${*" OR http_body="*#{*")