CVE-2012-5647 in OpenShift Origin
Summary
by MITRE
Open redirect vulnerability in node-util/www/html/restorer.php in Red Hat OpenShift Origin before 1.0.5-3 allows remote attackers to redirect users to arbitrary web sites and conduct phishing attacks via a URL in the PATH_INFO.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/29/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-5647 represents a critical open redirect flaw within the Red Hat OpenShift Origin platform, specifically affecting versions prior to 1.0.5-3. This security weakness resides in the restorer.php script located within the node-util/www/html directory structure of the platform's web interface. The vulnerability manifests through the improper handling of URL parameters within the PATH_INFO server variable, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate user redirection behavior. OpenShift Origin, as a container application platform, provides developers with tools to build and deploy applications, making this vulnerability particularly concerning given the platform's role in enterprise application hosting and development environments.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL that includes a crafted path parameter which gets processed by the restorer.php script. The script fails to properly validate or sanitize input from the PATH_INFO variable, allowing arbitrary URL strings to be interpreted as redirect targets. This flaw enables attackers to construct deceptive URLs that appear legitimate but redirect users to malicious third-party domains. The vulnerability specifically leverages the web server's PATH_INFO handling mechanism, where the server passes additional path information to scripts through this variable. When the restorer.php script processes this unvalidated input, it directly uses the provided URL string to perform redirection operations without proper sanitization or domain validation checks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple user inconvenience, presenting significant security risks including phishing attacks, credential theft, and social engineering campaigns. Attackers can exploit this weakness to create convincing fake login pages or fraudulent websites that appear to be legitimate OpenShift interfaces, potentially compromising user credentials and system access. The vulnerability affects the platform's trust model, as users may be unknowingly redirected to malicious sites while believing they are interacting with legitimate OpenShift services. Given that OpenShift Origin serves enterprise customers with sensitive applications and data, the potential for financial loss, data breaches, and operational disruption increases substantially. The vulnerability also undermines the platform's security posture and could lead to compliance violations in regulated environments where proper access controls and user protection mechanisms are required.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate patching to version 1.0.5-3 or later, which implements proper input validation and sanitization of PATH_INFO parameters. Organizations should also implement additional security controls such as validating redirect targets against a whitelist of approved domains, implementing proper URL encoding and decoding mechanisms, and monitoring web server logs for suspicious redirect patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-601, which specifically addresses open redirect vulnerabilities, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for phishing campaigns. Network-level protections including web application firewalls and URL filtering systems can provide additional layers of defense, while user education about recognizing phishing attempts remains crucial. Regular security assessments and code reviews focusing on input validation practices should be implemented to prevent similar vulnerabilities in other components of the platform.
The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation in web applications and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing throughout the software development lifecycle. Organizations using Red Hat OpenShift Origin should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify potential similar weaknesses in their deployment environments and ensure all components are updated to secure versions. The incident underscores the critical nature of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust security monitoring practices to detect and respond to exploitation attempts effectively.