CVE-2011-0730 in Eucalyptus
Summary
by MITRE
Eucalyptus before 2.0.3 and Eucalyptus EE before 2.0.2, as used in Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC) and other products, do not properly interpret signed elements in SOAP requests, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to execute arbitrary commands by modifying a request, related to an "XML Signature Element Wrapping" or a "SOAP signature replay" issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/08/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-0730 represents a critical security flaw in Eucalyptus cloud computing platforms that affects versions prior to 2.0.3 for the standard edition and 2.0.2 for the enterprise edition. This issue specifically impacts Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud deployments and other products utilizing Eucalyptus infrastructure. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of signed elements within SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) requests, creating a significant security gap that can be exploited by malicious actors positioned between communicating parties.
The technical flaw manifests through what is commonly referred to as XML Signature Element Wrapping or SOAP signature replay attacks. When Eucalyptus systems process SOAP requests containing XML signatures, they fail to properly validate the structure and integrity of these signed elements. This improper interpretation allows attackers to manipulate the request content while maintaining the appearance of valid authentication, effectively bypassing the security mechanisms designed to protect against unauthorized command execution. The vulnerability exploits the trust model inherent in SOAP-based web services where signature validation should ensure message integrity and authenticity.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted. Attackers can leverage this weakness to execute arbitrary commands on affected systems, potentially gaining complete control over the cloud infrastructure. This capability extends beyond simple data manipulation to full system compromise, enabling attackers to access sensitive information, modify system configurations, or establish persistent backdoors. The man-in-the-middle attack vector means that the threat actor does not need to directly target the cloud infrastructure but can intercept and modify communications between cloud components, making detection particularly challenging.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-347, which addresses improper certificate validation and signature verification issues in security protocols. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this weakness maps to techniques involving credential access through signature manipulation and privilege escalation via command execution. The attack chain typically involves intercepting legitimate SOAP communications, modifying the request structure to include malicious payloads, and replaying the modified signature to gain unauthorized access. This attack pattern represents a sophisticated approach to cloud security exploitation that bypasses traditional network-level protections.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to Eucalyptus versions 2.0.3 or later for the standard edition and 2.0.2 for the enterprise edition. Network segmentation and traffic monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous SOAP request patterns. Additionally, implementing proper certificate validation mechanisms and ensuring that all communication channels utilize secure transport protocols such as TLS 1.2 or higher can significantly reduce the attack surface. Regular security audits and penetration testing should verify that the updated systems properly handle XML signature validation and that no similar vulnerabilities exist in the broader cloud infrastructure ecosystem.