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Servers' Secret Weaknesses Exposed: A Decade of Danger
6 Aug
Summary
- Critical vulnerabilities in server motherboards pose remote backdoor risks.
- Many discovered flaws are over a decade old and remain unpatched.
- Over 86,000 internet-connected BMCs found with critical vulnerabilities.
Critical vulnerabilities discovered in server motherboards present a significant risk of remote backdoors, with some flaws existing for over a decade. These weaknesses are embedded in Baseboard Management Controllers (BMCs), miniature computers on server motherboards essential for remote administration. Researchers have warned about these issues, particularly related to the IPMI protocol, since at least 2013.
New research presented at the Black Hat security conference reveals that numerous critical vulnerabilities persist across servers from major manufacturers including HPE, Supermicro, and Dell. A large-scale scan identified over 86,000 internet-exposed BMCs with critical flaws, many vulnerable to known exploits from 2013. Internal network scans also showed nearly 29 percent of BMCs had critical vulnerabilities.
These vulnerabilities include flaws in IPMI authentication, session integrity failures, predictable session identifiers, and pre-authentication memory corruptions. Some issues allow attackers to bypass authentication or install malicious firmware. The risks are not theoretical; a 2021 incident involved an implant that destroyed data on HPE servers, persisting even after system reinstallation.
To mitigate these risks, administrators are advised to use strong, unique credentials, disable IPMI and KCS where possible, and isolate BMC network interfaces. Researchers stress that BMC security remains an underrated and critical concern within the industry.
