CVE-2014-5040 in Helion Eucalyptus
Summary
by MITRE
HP Helion Eucalyptus 4.1.x before 4.1.2 and HPE Helion Eucalyptus 4.2.x before 4.2.1 allow remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions and modify arbitrary (1) access key credentials by leveraging knowledge of a key ID or (2) signing certificates by leveraging knowledge of a certificate ID.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/26/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5040 affects HP Helion Eucalyptus cloud infrastructure platforms, specifically versions 4.1.x prior to 4.1.2 and 4.2.x prior to 4.2.1. This represents a critical authorization bypass flaw that undermines the core security model of the platform's identity and access management systems. The issue stems from insufficient validation of access control mechanisms within the platform's credential management subsystem, allowing authenticated attackers to exploit weak authorization checks to manipulate sensitive security artifacts.
The technical flaw manifests through improper validation of access control lists and authorization tokens when processing requests for credential modifications. Attackers with valid authentication credentials can leverage knowledge of specific key identifiers or certificate identifiers to bypass intended access restrictions. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and affects the platform's ability to enforce proper separation of duties and credential integrity controls. The flaw essentially allows attackers to escalate their privileges within the cloud environment by manipulating access key credentials or signing certificates, which are fundamental components for secure API interactions and service authentication.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial as it enables attackers to gain unauthorized access to cloud resources and potentially compromise the entire platform's security posture. An attacker could modify access keys to gain persistent access to cloud services, or manipulate signing certificates to forge legitimate API requests. This creates a significant risk for organizations relying on Eucalyptus for cloud infrastructure, as it undermines the trust model that cloud platforms depend upon for secure multi-tenant environments. The vulnerability particularly affects cloud administrators who rely on proper credential management for access control and audit trail integrity.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches for versions 4.1.2 and 4.2.1, which address the authorization bypass through enhanced validation of access control mechanisms. Network segmentation and monitoring of credential modification activities should be implemented to detect anomalous access patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential access, highlighting the exploitation pathways through legitimate authentication mechanisms. Security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of access key and certificate management processes, implement principle of least privilege for credential operations, and establish automated monitoring for unauthorized credential modifications to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability.