CVE-2020-8012 – CVE-2020-8012 is a critical buffer overflow vul... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-8012?

CVE-2020-8012 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). CVE-2020-8012 is a critical buffer overflow vulnerability in CA Unified Infrastructure Management (Nimsoft/UIM) that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. This affects the robot (controller) component in versions 20.1, 20.3.x, and 9.20 and below. Organizations using these vulnerable versions are at risk of complete system compromise.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2020-8012 is a critical buffer overflow vulnerability in CA Unified Infrastructure Management (Nimsoft/UIM) that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. This affects the robot (controller) component in versions 20.1, 20.3.x, and 9.20 and below. Organizations using these vulnerable versions are at risk of complete system compromise.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

CA Unified Infrastructure Management (Nimsoft/UIM)

Versions: 20.1, 20.3.x, and 9.20 and below

Operating Systems: All supported platforms

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: The robot (controller) component is vulnerable. All installations with these versions are affected regardless of configuration.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete system takeover with remote code execution, leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, lateral movement, and persistent backdoor installation.

🟠

Likely Case

Remote attacker gains full control of the Nimsoft/UIM system, enabling them to manipulate monitoring data, disrupt operations, and pivot to other systems.

🟢

If Mitigated

If properly segmented and patched, impact is limited to the specific Nimsoft/UIM component with no lateral movement.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - The vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication, making internet-facing instances extremely vulnerable.

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Even internally, this vulnerability allows attackers who gain network access to execute arbitrary code without authentication.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: CONFIRMED

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Multiple public exploit proofs exist on Packet Storm Security. The vulnerability requires no authentication and has low exploitation complexity.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Versions after 9.20, 20.1, and 20.3.x - consult Broadcom advisory for specific patched versions

Vendor Advisory: https://support.broadcom.com/external/content/security-advisories/CA20200205-01-Security-Notice-for-CA-Unified-Infrastructure-Management/7832

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Review Broadcom advisory CA20200205-01. 2. Download and apply the appropriate patch from Broadcom support. 3. Restart the Nimsoft/UIM services. 4. Verify the patch is applied correctly.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Network Segmentation

linux

Restrict network access to Nimsoft/UIM robot controller ports (typically 48000-48003) to only trusted management systems.

Use firewall rules to restrict access: iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 48000:48003 -s trusted_ip -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 48000:48003 -j DROP

Windows Firewall Restriction

windows

Block external access to Nimsoft/UIM ports using Windows Firewall.

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block Nimsoft Ports" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 48000-48003 -Protocol TCP -Action Block

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Immediately isolate affected systems from internet and untrusted networks
Implement strict network segmentation and monitor for exploitation attempts

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check the installed version of CA UIM/Nimsoft. If version is 20.1, 20.3.x, or 9.20 or below, the system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

On Windows: Check Programs and Features. On Linux: Check installation directory or use 'ps aux | grep nim' to identify running processes and versions.

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify the version has been updated to a patched release and test that the robot controller service is functioning normally.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual connections to robot controller ports (48000-48003)
Abnormal process creation from Nimsoft/UIM services
Crash logs from nimcontroller process

Network Indicators:

Unexpected network traffic to/from port 48000-48003
Large or malformed packets sent to Nimsoft/UIM ports

SIEM Query:

source="nimsoft.logs" AND (event="crash" OR event="buffer_overflow" OR dest_port IN (48000,48001,48002,48003) AND src_ip NOT IN (trusted_ips))

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-8012

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

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

CWE: CWE-120

Published: February 18, 2020

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/156577/Nimsoft-nimcontroller-7.80-Remote-Code-Execution.html Exploit,Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158693/CA-Unified-Infrastructure-Management-Nimsoft-7.80-Buffer-Overflow.html Exploit,Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://support.broadcom.com/external/content/security-advisories/CA20200205-01-Security-Notice-for-CA-Unified-Infrastructure-Management/7832 Vendor Advisory
https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/product-content/status/announcement-documents/2019/ca20200205-01-security-notice-for-ca-unified-infrastructure-management.html Vendor Advisory
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/156577/Nimsoft-nimcontroller-7.80-Remote-Code-Execution.html Exploit,Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158693/CA-Unified-Infrastructure-Management-Nimsoft-7.80-Buffer-Overflow.html Exploit,Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://support.broadcom.com/external/content/security-advisories/CA20200205-01-Security-Notice-for-CA-Unified-Infrastructure-Management/7832 Vendor Advisory
https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/product-content/status/announcement-documents/2019/ca20200205-01-security-notice-for-ca-unified-infrastructure-management.html Vendor Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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📋 TL;DR

💻 Affected Systems

📦 What is this software?

Unified Infrastructure Management by Broadcom

Unified Infrastructure Management by Broadcom

Unified Infrastructure Management by Broadcom

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

Worst Case

Likely Case

If Mitigated

🎯 Exploit Status

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Instructions:

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Network Segmentation

Windows Firewall Restriction

🧯 If You Can't Patch

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Version:

Verify Fix Applied:

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Network Indicators:

SIEM Query:

📊 Metadata

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities