CVE-2021-25142
📋 TL;DR
A buffer overflow vulnerability in the Baseboard Management Controller firmware of HPE Apollo 70 Systems allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code. This affects systems with BMC firmware versions prior to 3.0.14.0. Attackers with local access to the BMC interface could potentially gain elevated privileges.
💻 Affected Systems
- HPE Apollo 70 System
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise via arbitrary code execution on the BMC, allowing persistent access, firmware modification, and potential hardware control.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to BMC compromise, enabling attackers to manipulate system management functions and potentially affect host operations.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper network segmentation and access controls prevent unauthorized local access to BMC interfaces.
🎯 Exploit Status
Buffer overflow in webstartflash function requires local access but exploitation details are not publicly documented.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: BMC firmware version 3.0.14.0 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://support.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docLocale=en_US&docId=emr_na-hpesbhf04080en_us
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download BMC firmware update from HPE support portal. 2. Access BMC web interface or use HPE management tools. 3. Upload and apply firmware update. 4. Reboot system to complete installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict BMC network access
allImplement network segmentation to limit access to BMC management interfaces to authorized administrative networks only.
Disable unnecessary BMC services
allDisable webstartflash and other non-essential BMC services if not required for operations.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls to isolate BMC management interfaces
- Monitor BMC access logs for unauthorized connection attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check BMC firmware version via iLO web interface or using 'ipmitool mc info' command.Check Version:
ipmitool mc info | grep 'Firmware Revision'Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm BMC firmware version is 3.0.14.0 or later using same methods.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual BMC authentication attempts
- Multiple failed webstartflash requests
- BMC firmware modification events
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected connections to BMC management ports (default 443/623)
- Traffic patterns suggesting buffer overflow attempts
SIEM Query:
source="BMC_logs" AND (event="authentication_failure" OR event="webstartflash_error")