CVE-2010-4179 in Enterprise Mrg
Summary
by MITRE
The installation documentation for Red Hat Enterprise Messaging, Realtime and Grid (MRG) 1.3 recommends that Condor should be configured so that the MRG Management Console (cumin) can submit jobs for users, which creates a trusted channel with insufficient access control that allows local users with the ability to publish to a broker to run jobs as arbitrary users via Condor QMF plug-ins.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/01/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-4179 represents a critical access control flaw within the Red Hat Enterprise Messaging MRG 1.3 platform ecosystem. This issue stems from the installation documentation's recommendation to configure Condor with a trusted channel mechanism that enables the MRG Management Console to submit jobs on behalf of users. The flaw lies in the insufficient access control mechanisms that govern how this trusted channel operates, creating a dangerous privilege escalation vector for local attackers who possess the ability to publish messages to the messaging broker. The vulnerability specifically affects environments where Condor QMF plug-ins are utilized, allowing malicious users to exploit the improperly secured communication channel to execute arbitrary jobs under different user contexts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the trust relationship established between the MRG Management Console and the Condor job submission system through QMF (Query Management Framework) plug-ins. When a local user with broker publishing privileges attempts to interact with the system, they can leverage the trusted channel to bypass normal access controls and submit jobs that execute with elevated privileges. This occurs because the configuration recommendations do not properly enforce user identity validation or access control checks at the Condor QMF interface level. The flaw essentially allows an attacker to impersonate other users within the Condor job submission framework, creating a path for unauthorized job execution that could potentially escalate to full system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it enables attackers to gain unauthorized access to compute resources and potentially execute malicious code within the Condor environment. Local users who can publish to the broker can effectively bypass the intended security boundaries between different user accounts, allowing them to run jobs as other users or even as system-level processes. This creates a significant risk for organizations deploying MRG 1.3 systems, particularly in environments where multiple users share the same infrastructure and where proper segregation of duties is critical. The vulnerability undermines the fundamental security assumptions of the messaging platform, potentially allowing for data exfiltration, resource exhaustion, or the execution of arbitrary code with elevated privileges.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including disabling the trusted channel configuration recommended in the documentation, enforcing strict access controls on Condor QMF plug-ins, and implementing proper user identity verification mechanisms. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and represents a classic example of insufficient authorization checks in distributed computing environments. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and can be leveraged for lateral movement within the Condor cluster. Security administrators should review all Condor configuration files, particularly those related to QMF plug-ins and the cumin management console integration, to ensure that the trusted channel mechanism has been properly secured or disabled entirely. Regular security audits of messaging infrastructure configurations are essential to prevent similar issues from arising in other components of the enterprise messaging ecosystem.