CVE-2017-8982

Think of iMC as the “control room” your IT team uses to manage systems. This bug is like a mistake in the door lock: it may let someone get past certain login restrictions by using a special remote request. If the control room is reachable from the outside, the attacker’s odds improve.

This matters to you if you run HPE Intelligent Management Center (iMC) PLAT version 7.3 E0504P4. Because it is a remote authentication restriction bypass, the risk is mainly about whether an attacker can reach your iMC from the network. Only take the risk seriously if your iMC is exposed to the internet or otherwise reachable by untrusted users (not just your internal team).

This should be treated as urgent-but-not-emergency (AMBER) because a public exploit is available, meaning real-world attackers can attempt it. CISA KEV does not list it, so it’s not confirmed as an active widespread campaign—but your best move is to upgrade or tightly restrict access now.

1. Inventory and confirm the exact version

   • Find the installed iMC PLAT version on the system (specifically check for 7.3 E0504P4).
   • If you have multiple instances, verify each one.

2. Validate exposure (reachability)

   • Determine from where the iMC UI/API can be reached.
   • If it is reachable from the internet, treat this as higher risk.
   • If it is only accessible from a corporate network/VPN, prioritize segmentation anyway.

3. Apply the vendor fix

   • Use HPE’s remediation guidance for “HPESBHf03809” (linked from the provided HPE support page).
   • Upgrade to the fixed iMC PLAT release specified in that advisory.
   • After upgrading, confirm the running version is no longer 7.3 E0504P4.

4. Temporary workaround if you can’t upgrade immediately

   • Block inbound access to iMC from the internet.
   • Allow only trusted source IPs or a VPN/bastion host.
   • Disable or restrict any external-facing management endpoints as your environment allows.

5. Post-change monitoring

   • Review iMC-related access/authentication logs around the time of the upgrade and any recent suspicious periods.
   • Look for unusual authentication attempts, repeated failures, or unexpected access patterns.

6. Management of risk going forward

   • Track any additional HPE advisories for follow-up patches.
   • Maintain routine update cadence for iMC to avoid similar exposure to remote-access issues.

CISA KEV note: This vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV based on the provided findings.

Severity is rated HIGH (CVSS 7.5) for CVE-2017-8982. The weakness is a Remote Authentication Restriction Bypass in HPE Intelligent Management Center (iMC) PLAT, where remote requests can bypass authentication-related restrictions under certain conditions.

Exploitation status: a public exploit exists (weaponization finding), which increases the practical risk compared to vulnerabilities with only proof-of-concept code. However, CISA KEV does not list this issue, so confirmed broad exploitation is not indicated by KEV in the provided findings.

Attack vector: remote (network-accessible) with low attacker requirements for interaction (no user interaction noted in the overall description you provided). Availability impact is not indicated by the provided findings.

Patch status: an official vendor remediation is available via HPE support page emr_na-hpesbhf03809en_us. Exact fixed version details are not included in the findings you provided, so the precise target release should be taken directly from HPE’s advisory.

About KEV and EPSS: KEV is not listed here; EPSS is a prediction (provided as a falling trend), but exploitation confirmation from KEV/news would override reliance on EPSS. No such KEV confirmation is present in the provided findings.