CVE-2023-37294: Heap Memory Corruption Vulnerability in AMI’s SPx

Overview

This blog post will delve into the details of the recently discovered vulnerability, CVE-2023-37294, a heap memory corruption vulnerability in AMI’s SPx. This vulnerability, found within the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC), could potentially lead to a system compromise or data leakage. This presents a serious risk to organizations running the affected versions of AMI’s SPx, due to the potential loss of confidentiality, integrity, and/or availability.
The severity of this vulnerability is underscored by its high CVSS score and the potential impact on affected systems. It is essential for cybersecurity professionals and IT administrators to understand the nature of this vulnerability, the risks it poses, and how to mitigate them.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2023-37294
Severity: High (8.3 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

AMI’s SPx | All versions prior to the latest patch

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability resides in the BMC of AMI’s SPx. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted payload via an adjacent network. This payload causes corruption in the heap memory of the BMC, potentially leading to a system compromise or data leakage. The attacker does not require high-level privileges and no user interaction is necessary, making this a particularly dangerous vulnerability.

Conceptual Example Code

Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This example represents a network packet with a malicious payload designed to exploit this vulnerability.

POST /BMC_endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{ "malicious_payload": "HEAP_CORRUPTION_PAYLOAD" }

Mitigation Guidance

To mitigate this vulnerability, users of affected versions of AMI’s SPx are advised to apply the latest vendor patch which addresses CVE-2023-37294. As a temporary mitigation, users can employ a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to monitor and block malicious network traffic targeting this vulnerability. However, these measures do not address the root cause of the vulnerability, and as such, updating to a patched version of the software is strongly recommended.