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Yes, a bare-metal server can retain a low-level firmware change when it is reassigned if its provider does not restore and verify the management firmware. In a 2019 report, researchers demonstrated a persistent change to a server’s baseboard management controller (BMC) after returning and reacquiring the same IBM SoftLayer server. The report documents a risk, not evidence that customer data was stolen or that every bare-metal provider is vulnerable.
What is Cloudborne?
Cloudborne is the name Eclypsium gave to a 2019 server-reassignment persistence risk. It concerns the BMC—the server’s separate management controller—not just the operating system installed on the host. BMCs provide powerful out-of-band management functions. As Eclypsium researchers put it, “By design, the BMC is intended for managing the host system, and as such, it is more privileged than the host.” SecurityWeek’s February 26, 2019 report described the demonstration and the researchers’ concerns.
The practical distinction is between reinstalling a server’s operating system and returning its lower-level management firmware to a known, trusted state. An OS reinstall alone does not establish that BMC configuration or firmware has been restored.
What did researchers demonstrate?
Eclypsium tested IBM SoftLayer’s bare-metal service, which it selected for its hardware access and relatively simple logistics. The report says some tested servers used SuperMicro hardware. Researchers made benign changes to a BMC, including changing a character in a configuration file and adding an IPMI administrator user. After returning and reacquiring the same device through another account, they found that the added user had been removed but the changed configuration bit remained. The report also said BMC logs and the root password remained.
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This was not a demonstration of exploiting a software vulnerability. It showed that changes available to a customer with server access could persist through the provider’s return-and-reassignment process. The report does not say that an attacker used this method against a victim or that customer information was actually accessed or stolen.
Why could a BMC change matter after reassignment?
A BMC operates below the host operating system and supports remote management. If a prior tenant’s alteration survives while the server is being prepared for another tenant, reinstalling the new tenant’s OS would not, by itself, remove that low-level persistence. SecurityWeek reported that Eclypsium described possible consequences including disruption or bricking, data access, and interception or exfiltration through low-level control. Those were researchers’ described risks, not reported incidents involving customers.
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- Supporting standard ATX power supply;durable, suitable for long-term high-strength disassembly
- Package including:1 x computer case;1 x screw box;1 x Double USB3.0 cable;1 x Stainless steel switching power supply wire;4 x metal graphics card support columns;1 x water cooling support and 4 x foot pads
What did IBM and Eclypsium say about remediation and severity?
The 2019 coverage records disagreement over whether the issue had been fully addressed and how serious the potential impact was. IBM said it had taken action to eliminate the vulnerability, describing a process that reflashed BMCs with factory firmware, deleted logs, and regenerated passwords before reassignment. Eclypsium said a follow-up check still found its firmware modification.
An IBM spokesperson told SecurityWeek: “We are not aware of any client or IBM data being put at risk because of this reported potential vulnerability and we have taken actions to eliminate the vulnerability. Given the remediation steps we have taken and the level of difficulty required to exploit this vulnerability, we believe the potential impact to clients is low.” Eclypsium assigned a CVSS score of 9.3 and called the issue critical; IBM characterized the potential impact as low in light of remediation and exploit difficulty. These are opposing assessments reported in 2019, not current provider status.
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Does this mean bare-metal cloud servers are currently vulnerable?
No such broad conclusion follows from this case. The demonstrated test concerned IBM SoftLayer, and Eclypsium warned that the risk could apply more widely to bare-metal services. That warning is not verification that every provider—or any particular provider today—has the same weakness. The available reporting does not establish the present-day status of IBM’s process or other providers’ controls.
The useful lesson is to treat server reclamation as a firmware-integrity issue as well as an account and operating-system cleanup task. Organizations evaluating a provider can ask how it restores BMC firmware to a trusted factory state, independently verifies integrity after reclamation, handles BMC logs and credentials, informs customers about the process, and escalates suspected persistence. The University of Hawaii West Oahu’s March 8, 2019 summary also recaps the mechanism and mitigation ideas, but neither source supplies current comparative provider scores.
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- Open design provides better performance in cooling, compatibility, and maintenance
- Support ITX, M-ATX μ ATX, FlexATX, ATX motherboard. The size of the assembled bare metal machine (L x W x H) is about 295 * 155 * 360mm.
- The vertical structure is stable, allowing you to fully experience the fun of DIY. Open chassis design, good heat dissipation effect.
- It is made of acrylic material, transparent and more fashionable. Long service life.
- If you have any questions, please contact us and we will serve you within 24 hours.
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