CVE-2021-27285
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Inspur ClusterEngine v4.0 allows attackers to escalate local privileges and execute arbitrary commands via the getJobsByShell binary. Attackers with local access can gain root privileges on affected systems. This affects organizations using Inspur ClusterEngine v4.0 for high-performance computing clusters.
💻 Affected Systems
- Inspur ClusterEngine
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with root access, allowing attackers to install persistent backdoors, steal sensitive data, or pivot to other systems in the cluster.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to unauthorized administrative access, enabling attackers to manipulate cluster jobs, access sensitive configuration data, or disrupt cluster operations.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper access controls and monitoring are in place, with potential detection of unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit code is publicly available on GitHub, requiring local access to execute the vulnerable binary with specific parameters.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version after v4.0 (check with vendor for specific patched version)
Vendor Advisory: Not publicly available - contact Inspur support
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Contact Inspur support for the latest patched version. 2. Apply the vendor-provided patch. 3. Verify the getJobsByShell binary has been updated or secured.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Remove execute permissions from vulnerable binary
LinuxRemove execute permissions from the getJobsByShell binary to prevent exploitation while maintaining file integrity for patching.
chmod -x /opt/tsce4/torque6/bin/getJobsByShell
Implement strict access controls
LinuxRestrict access to the binary to only necessary users using filesystem permissions.
chmod 700 /opt/tsce4/torque6/bin/getJobsByShell
chown root:root /opt/tsce4/torque6/bin/getJobsByShell
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate cluster management nodes
- Enable detailed auditing and monitoring of privilege escalation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if the vulnerable binary exists and has execute permissions: ls -la /opt/tsce4/torque6/bin/getJobsByShellCheck Version:
Contact Inspur support or check cluster management interface for version informationVerify Fix Applied:
Verify the binary has been patched by checking its version or permissions, or test with known exploit payloads in a controlled environment.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual execution of getJobsByShell binary
- Privilege escalation attempts in system logs
- Unexpected root-level commands from non-admin users
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from cluster management nodes
- Unexpected SSH or remote access from cluster nodes
SIEM Query:
process.name:"getJobsByShell" AND user.name!="root" OR process.parent.name:"getJobsByShell" AND process.name:"bash"