CVE-2008-3830 in Condor
Summary
by MITRE
Condor before 7.0.5 does not properly handle when the configuration specifies overlapping netmasks in allow or deny rules, which causes the rule to be ignored and allows attackers to bypass intended access restrictions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/18/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-3830 affects Condor versions prior to 7.0.5, representing a critical configuration flaw that undermines access control mechanisms within the distributed computing framework. Condor is a workload management system designed to execute large numbers of jobs across distributed resources, making it essential for high-performance computing environments where security controls must be robust and reliable. This particular vulnerability stems from improper handling of network access control lists when overlapping netmasks are specified in allow or deny rules, creating a scenario where security policies fail to function as intended.
The technical flaw manifests when administrators configure access control rules using the allow and deny directives in Condor's configuration files, specifically when these rules contain overlapping netmasks that should logically conflict with each other. When Condor processes these overlapping rules, it fails to properly evaluate the conflict and instead ignores the rule entirely, allowing unauthorized access that would otherwise be blocked. This behavior violates fundamental security principles and creates a bypass mechanism that attackers can exploit to gain access to resources they should not be permitted to reach. The vulnerability operates at the configuration parsing and access control enforcement level, where the system's rule evaluation logic contains a critical gap in its processing algorithm.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple access bypass, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of Condor's security model and can lead to unauthorized resource consumption, data exposure, and potential system compromise within distributed computing environments. Attackers can leverage this flaw to bypass restrictions that were specifically implemented to protect sensitive computational resources, potentially gaining access to confidential research data, proprietary algorithms, or critical infrastructure components managed through Condor. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in academic and research environments where Condor is extensively deployed, as it could enable unauthorized users to access restricted computational resources and potentially interfere with ongoing research projects or access sensitive datasets.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Condor version 7.0.5 or later, which contains the necessary patches to properly handle overlapping netmasks in access control rules. Additionally, administrators should conduct thorough reviews of existing access control configurations to identify and remove any overlapping netmask rules that could trigger this behavior. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control, and represents a specific instance of inadequate privilege control where the system fails to properly enforce access restrictions. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation, as attackers can exploit the access bypass to gain unauthorized system access. Security monitoring should include detection of anomalous access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, and network segmentation strategies should be implemented to limit the potential impact of any successful exploitation. The fix implemented in Condor 7.0.5 involves enhanced rule evaluation logic that properly detects and handles overlapping netmask conflicts, ensuring that access control policies are enforced correctly and that security restrictions cannot be bypassed through configuration errors.