CVE-2014-0090 in Foreman
Summary
by MITRE
Session fixation vulnerability in Foreman before 1.4.2 allows remote attackers to hijack web sessions via the session id cookie.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/09/2019
The CVE-2014-0090 vulnerability represents a critical session fixation flaw in Foreman versions prior to 1.4.2, exposing web applications to sophisticated session hijacking attacks. This vulnerability specifically targets the session management mechanism within the Foreman web interface, where the application fails to properly regenerate session identifiers upon user authentication. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the predictable nature of session cookies, allowing them to establish a session with a known session identifier before the legitimate user authenticates, thereby gaining unauthorized access to the victim's session. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and affects the authentication and session management components of the Foreman platform, which is widely used for system management and automation in enterprise environments. This issue directly violates fundamental security principles of session management and represents a significant risk to organizations relying on Foreman for infrastructure management.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to regenerate session identifiers during the authentication process, creating a scenario where session tokens remain static or predictable across authentication boundaries. Attackers can exploit this by obtaining a valid session identifier through various means such as session cookie interception, cross-site scripting attacks, or by simply knowing the session cookie format used by Foreman. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to maintain persistent access to systems managed through Foreman, potentially enabling them to execute commands, modify configurations, or access sensitive system information. This flaw falls under the category of CWE-384, which specifically addresses session fixation vulnerabilities, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1563.002 for credential access through session hijacking. The vulnerability demonstrates poor adherence to secure coding practices for session management, particularly the failure to implement proper session regeneration upon successful authentication.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-0090 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to maintain long-term persistence within managed environments. Organizations using Foreman for system management and automation face significant risks including data breaches, system compromise, and potential lateral movement within their networks. The vulnerability affects both authenticated and unauthenticated attack vectors, making it particularly dangerous for environments where Foreman is exposed to untrusted networks or where network segmentation is inadequate. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gain access to critical infrastructure management systems, potentially compromising the entire IT infrastructure managed through Foreman. The impact is exacerbated by the fact that Foreman is commonly used in enterprise environments where it serves as a central management point for numerous systems, making successful exploitation a potential gateway to broader organizational compromise. This vulnerability directly impacts the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of managed systems, representing a significant threat to enterprise security posture and compliance requirements.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-0090 should focus on immediate patch deployment to Foreman versions 1.4.2 and later, which contain proper session regeneration mechanisms. Organizations should implement robust session management practices including automatic session regeneration upon authentication, secure cookie attributes such as HttpOnly and Secure flags, and proper session timeout mechanisms. Network segmentation and access controls should be enhanced to limit exposure of Foreman interfaces to trusted networks only. Regular security audits should verify that session management is properly implemented and that session identifiers are sufficiently random and unpredictable. The vulnerability highlights the importance of implementing the principle of least privilege for management interfaces and maintaining up-to-date security patches across all enterprise systems. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing additional monitoring and detection mechanisms to identify potential session hijacking attempts and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing session management vulnerabilities. This remediation approach addresses both the immediate technical flaw and broader security posture improvements needed to protect against similar session-related attacks.