CVE-2013-7450 in Pulp
Summary
by MITRE
Pulp before 2.3.0 uses the same the same certificate authority key and certificate for all installations.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/24/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-7450 affects Pulp software versions prior to 2.3.0, specifically addressing a critical weakness in the certificate management infrastructure. This issue represents a fundamental flaw in the software's cryptographic implementation where the same certificate authority key and certificate are deployed across all installations, creating a single point of failure that undermines the entire security framework. The vulnerability stems from poor security practices in the software distribution and deployment process, where developers failed to implement proper certificate randomization or unique identification mechanisms for individual installations.
This technical flaw falls under the category of weak cryptographic key management and certificate distribution practices, aligning with CWE-326 which addresses inadequate encryption strength and CWE-310 which covers cryptographic weaknesses in key management. The vulnerability creates a scenario where compromising a single certificate or key pair provides attackers with the ability to impersonate any installation within the Pulp ecosystem, effectively breaking the trust model that should exist between different instances. This weakness is particularly concerning because it affects the core authentication and authorization mechanisms that protect the software's integrity and security posture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple authentication failures, as it enables sophisticated attacks that can compromise entire deployment environments. Attackers who gain access to the shared certificate authority key can perform man-in-the-middle attacks, forge installation certificates, and potentially escalate privileges across multiple systems. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1552.001 which covers "Unsecured Credentials" and T1078.002 which addresses "Valid Accounts: Domain Accounts." The widespread nature of this vulnerability means that any system administrator who has not upgraded to version 2.3.0 or later remains at risk of complete compromise.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including upgrading to Pulp version 2.3.0 or later where the certificate management has been properly addressed. Additional security measures should include monitoring for unauthorized certificate usage and implementing network segmentation to limit the potential impact of a compromise. System administrators should also consider implementing certificate pinning mechanisms and regularly auditing certificate usage patterns to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a critical reminder of the importance of proper certificate lifecycle management and the dangers of hardcoded or shared cryptographic materials in security-critical software deployments.