CVE-2014-3251 in Puppet
Summary
by MITRE
The MCollective aes_security plugin, as used in Puppet Enterprise before 3.3.0 and Mcollective before 2.5.3, does not properly validate new server certificates based on the CA certificate, which allows local users to establish unauthorized Mcollective connections via unspecified vectors related to a race condition.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/22/2024
The CVE-2014-3251 vulnerability affects the MCollective aes_security plugin implementation within Puppet Enterprise and Mcollective systems, specifically targeting versions prior to 3.3.0 and 2.5.3 respectively. This security flaw stems from inadequate certificate validation mechanisms that fail to properly verify server certificates against the Certificate Authority certificate. The vulnerability creates a critical security gap in the authentication process, allowing malicious actors to exploit weaknesses in the certificate validation logic. The issue manifests as a race condition during certificate processing, where the system fails to maintain proper synchronization between certificate generation and validation phases, potentially enabling unauthorized access to the Mcollective communication framework.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the certificate validation logic of the aes_security plugin, which operates under the premise that certificate authenticity can be verified through proper CA certificate chain validation. However, the race condition aspect of this flaw means that during the brief window between when a certificate is generated and when it is validated, an attacker can potentially inject malicious certificates or manipulate the validation process. This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and CWE-362, which covers race conditions that can lead to security vulnerabilities. The flaw essentially allows for a privilege escalation scenario where local users can bypass normal authentication mechanisms and establish unauthorized connections to the Mcollective infrastructure.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-3251 is significant within enterprise environments that rely on Puppet Enterprise for configuration management and automation. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can gain unauthorized access to the Mcollective communication channels, potentially allowing them to execute arbitrary commands on managed nodes, access sensitive configuration data, or disrupt the entire automation infrastructure. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it targets local users, meaning that even within a system where network-level protections might exist, an attacker with local access could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and gain broader system control. This vulnerability essentially undermines the core security model of the Mcollective framework by allowing unauthorized parties to establish trusted connections without proper authentication.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of Puppet Enterprise 3.3.0 and Mcollective 2.5.3, which contain the necessary certificate validation fixes. System administrators should also consider implementing additional monitoring controls to detect unauthorized certificate changes or connection attempts to the Mcollective infrastructure. The remediation process should include comprehensive certificate management reviews to ensure that all certificates are properly validated and that the race condition scenarios are addressed through proper synchronization mechanisms. Security teams should also conduct thorough audits of their Mcollective configurations to identify any potential exploitation vectors and implement network segmentation to limit the impact of any successful attacks. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and credential access, as attackers can leverage the compromised authentication system to gain elevated privileges and access additional system resources.