CVE-2010-5142 in Chef Infra
Summary
by MITRE
chef-server-api/app/controllers/users.rb in the API in Chef before 0.9.0 does not require administrative privileges for the create, destroy, and update methods, which allows remote authenticated users to manage user accounts via requests to the /users URI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/05/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-5142 affects the Chef server API implementation prior to version 0.9.0, specifically within the users.rb controller file. This represents a critical authorization flaw that undermines the security model of the Chef configuration management platform. The issue stems from insufficient privilege validation mechanisms within the API endpoints responsible for user account management operations. The vulnerability exists in the chef-server-api component which serves as the central management interface for Chef server operations, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to escalate their privileges within the configuration management infrastructure.
The technical flaw manifests as a lack of administrative privilege verification for three critical user management operations: create, destroy, and update. This means that any authenticated user within the Chef server environment can perform these administrative functions without proper authorization checks. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to manipulate user accounts through direct API requests to the /users URI endpoint, effectively bypassing the intended access controls that should restrict such operations to administrators only. This flaw directly violates the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a failure in the authorization mechanism design. According to CWE-284, this represents an improper access control vulnerability where the system fails to properly enforce access restrictions, and the attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple unauthorized user management. An authenticated attacker can leverage this flaw to create new administrative accounts, delete existing user accounts, or modify user permissions and attributes, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability affects the entire Chef server infrastructure since it operates at the API level, meaning that any user with valid credentials can escalate their privileges and gain unauthorized access to sensitive configuration data and system resources. This creates a significant risk for organizations relying on Chef for infrastructure automation, as the attacker can effectively assume administrative control over the entire configuration management environment. The consequences include potential data breaches, unauthorized system modifications, and the ability to establish persistent access points within the infrastructure. Organizations using affected versions of Chef server face substantial risk of privilege escalation attacks that could compromise their entire configuration management ecosystem.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-5142 focus primarily on immediate version upgrades to Chef 0.9.0 or later, which includes the necessary authorization checks for user management operations. System administrators should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of the Chef server API endpoints to trusted networks only. Additional protective measures include monitoring API access logs for suspicious user account management activities, implementing strong authentication mechanisms, and conducting regular security audits of Chef server configurations. Organizations should also consider implementing role-based access controls that further restrict user permissions and ensure that only authorized administrators can perform user management operations. The fix addresses the root cause by enforcing proper privilege validation in the API controller, ensuring that administrative operations require appropriate authorization tokens or credentials before execution. This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper access control implementation in centralized management systems and demonstrates why regular security updates and vulnerability assessments are essential for maintaining secure infrastructure automation platforms.