CVE-2017-1304 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies

IBM has identified a vulnerability in IBM Spectrum Scale/GPFS on the Elastic Storage Server (ESS)/GPFS Storage Server (GSS) that could lead to denial of service or data corruption. The vulnerability was discovered during testing of an unsupported configuration.

Understanding CVE-2017-1304

This CVE involves a vulnerability in IBM Spectrum Scale/GPFS on the Elastic Storage Server (ESS)/GPFS Storage Server (GSS) that could potentially result in denial of service or data corruption.

What is CVE-2017-1304?

A vulnerability discovered by IBM in IBM Spectrum Scale/GPFS on the Elastic Storage Server (ESS)/GPFS Storage Server (GSS) during testing of an unsupported configuration.

The Impact of CVE-2017-1304

Exploitation of this vulnerability may lead to denial of service or undetected data corruption.
The vulnerability could cause the Spectrum Scale/GPFS daemon to fail with a Signal 11.

Technical Details of CVE-2017-1304

This section provides technical details of the CVE.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability involves an incorrect memory address usage during direct I/O operations on Spectrum Scale files.
It was found during testing of an unsupported configuration where user applications run on an active ESS I/O server node.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Elastic Storage Server
Vendor: IBM
Affected Versions: 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0

Exploitation Mechanism

Exploiting the vulnerability involves running user applications on an active ESS I/O server node using direct I/O to read from or write to a Spectrum Scale file.

Mitigation and Prevention

Steps to address and prevent the vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply patches provided by IBM to address the vulnerability.
Implement proper access controls and monitoring to detect any unauthorized activities.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch the Elastic Storage Server to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
Conduct security assessments and audits to identify and address any security gaps.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security updates and patches released by IBM for the Elastic Storage Server.