CVE-2020-7205 Explained: Impact, Technical Details, and Mitigation

CVE-2020-7205 was published on 2020-07-30T17:27:10. This vulnerability affects multiple HPE products, leading to potential arbitrary code execution during the boot process.

Understanding CVE-2020-7205

This section provides an overview of CVE-2020-7205, detailing the impact, technical aspects, and affected systems.

What is CVE-2020-7205?

CVE-2020-7205 is a security vulnerability in HPE Intelligent Provisioning, Service Pack for ProLiant, and HPE Scripting ToolKit. It can be locally exploited to allow arbitrary code execution during the boot process.

The Impact of CVE-2020-7205

This vulnerability could enable attackers to execute arbitrary code during the boot process, compromising the security of the affected systems.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-7205

This section delves into the technical aspects of the vulnerability, including its description, affected systems, and exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from the use of the

insmod

command in GRUB2 within the affected HPE products. HPE has addressed this issue with updates and mitigation measures.

Affected Systems and Versions

The following systems and versions are affected by CVE-2020-7205:

HP Intelligent Provisioning
affected: Gen8 - Prior to 1.72
affected: Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: Gen10 and Gen10 Plus v3.30 or earlier
affected: v3.31
affected: v3.40.
HPE ProLiant BL460c Gen9 Server Blade
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant BL660c Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant DL180 Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant DL60 Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant DL80 Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant ML110 Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant ML150 Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant XL740f Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant XL750f Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE Apollo 4200 Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant DL20 Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant DL560 Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant ML350 Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant XL170r Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant XL190r Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant XL230a Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant XL250a Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant XL260a Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant XL450 Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant XL730f Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
ProLiant SE2160w Gen9 Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant m510 Server Cartridge
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant m710x Server Blade
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant BL460c Gen10 Server Blade
affected: IP - Gen10 and Gen10 Plus Servers - v3.30 or earlier
affected: v3.31
affected: v3.40
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10 Server
affected: IP - Gen10 and Gen10 Plus Servers - v3.30 or earlier
affected: v3.31
affected: v3.40
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 Server
affected: IP - Gen10 and Gen10 Plus Servers - v3.30 or earlier
affected: v3.31
affected: v3.40
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant DL560 Gen10 Server
affected: IP - Gen10 and Gen10 Plus Servers - v3.30 or earlier
affected: v3.31
affected: v3.40
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant DL580 Gen10 Server
affected: IP - Gen10 and Gen10 Plus Servers - v3.30 or earlier
affected: v3.31
affected: v3.40
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant ML110 Gen10 Server
affected: IP - Gen10 and Gen10 Plus Servers - v3.30 or earlier
affected: v3.31
affected: v3.40
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant MicroServer Gen10
affected: IP - Gen10 and Gen10 Plus Servers - v3.30 or earlier
affected: v3.31
affected: v3.40
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE Synergy 480 Gen10 Compute Module
affected: IP - Gen10 and Gen10 Plus Servers - v3.30 or earlier
affected: v3.31
affected: v3.40
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE Synergy 660 Gen10 Compute Module
affected: IP - Gen10 and Gen10 Plus Servers - v3.30 or earlier
affected: v3.31
affected: v3.40
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant DL180 Gen10 Server
affected: IP - Gen10 and Gen10 Plus Servers - v3.30 or earlier
affected: v3.31
affected: v3.40
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant DL160 Gen10 Server
affected: IP - Gen10 and Gen10 Plus Servers - v3.30 or earlier
affected: v3.31
affected: v3.40
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant DL120 Gen10 Server
affected: IP - Gen10 and Gen10 Plus Servers - v3.30 or earlier
affected: v3.31
affected: v3.40
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant XL270d Gen9 Special Server
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant DL385 Gen10 Server
affected: IP - Gen10 and Gen10 Plus Servers - v3.30 or earlier
affected: v3.31
affected: v3.40
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE Synergy 660 Gen9 Compute Module
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE Synergy 480 Gen9 Compute Module
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE ProLiant WS460c Gen9 Graphics Server Blade
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HP ProLiant DL580 Gen8 Server
affected: IP - Gen8 - Prior to 1.72
affected: SPP - Prior to Gen8.1. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40
HPE Synergy 620 Gen9 Compute Module
affected: IP - Gen9 - Prior to 2.81
affected: SPP - Prior to 2020.03. Scripting ToolKit - Prior to 11.40

Exploitation Mechanism

The exploitation involves using the

insmod

command in GRUB2 during the boot process. This allows arbitrary code execution on the affected systems.

Mitigation and Prevention

To mitigate and prevent this vulnerability, HPE has provided several updates and best practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update to the latest version of Intelligent Provisioning, Service Pack for ProLiant, and HPE Scripting ToolKit.
Apply the GRUB2 patch provided by HPE.
Update the Forbidden Signature Database (DBX) using the standalone DBX update tool.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update firmware and software to the latest versions.
Implement secure boot mechanisms.
Regularly review and apply security patches.

Patching and Updates

HPE has released updates to address this vulnerability. Users should ensure that their systems are updated to the latest versions to mitigate the risk.