CVE-2015-4053 in ceph-deploy
Summary
by MITRE
The admin command in ceph-deploy before 1.5.25 uses world-readable permissions for /etc/ceph/ceph.client.admin.keyring, which allows local users to obtain sensitive information by reading the file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-4053 affects the ceph-deploy tool version 1.5.25 and earlier, presenting a critical security flaw in the management of cryptographic key material within the Ceph storage system. This issue specifically impacts the administrative command functionality that generates and manages client keyrings for cluster administration. The flaw manifests when ceph-deploy creates the administrative keyring file at /etc/ceph/ceph.client.admin.keyring, which is configured with world-readable permissions instead of the appropriate restricted access controls that should protect sensitive cryptographic material. This misconfiguration allows any local user on the system to read the contents of the keyring file, potentially compromising the entire Ceph cluster's administrative security posture.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-732, which describes improper restriction of operations within a recognized access control mechanism, and represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege in system security design. The ceph.client.admin.keyring file contains the administrative credentials that grant full access to the Ceph cluster, including the ability to modify data, create and delete storage pools, and manage user permissions. When this file is accessible to all local users, it effectively eliminates the local privilege boundary that should protect sensitive administrative credentials from unauthorized local access. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as the key material could enable attackers to escalate their privileges locally and potentially gain complete control over the storage infrastructure.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant risk for organizations deploying Ceph storage clusters, particularly in environments where multiple users share the same system or where security boundaries are not properly enforced. The attack surface is expanded because local users who might not have legitimate administrative access can now obtain administrative credentials, potentially leading to data compromise, service disruption, or unauthorized modifications to the storage environment. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in multi-tenant environments or shared computing resources where local privilege escalation opportunities are more prevalent. The attack vector is simple and requires no network access or specialized tools beyond basic local system access, making it an attractive target for malicious actors who have gained local system access through other means.
The recommended mitigations for this vulnerability include immediate upgrading to ceph-deploy version 1.5.25 or later, which properly implements restricted file permissions for the administrative keyring. System administrators should also conduct thorough audits of existing keyring files to ensure they are properly secured with appropriate permissions, typically requiring owner-only read/write access or more restrictive settings as appropriate for the environment. Additional defensive measures include implementing proper file system monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts to sensitive configuration files, establishing regular security reviews of deployed storage management tools, and ensuring that all administrative credentials are properly rotated and managed according to security best practices. Organizations should also consider implementing additional access controls and monitoring mechanisms to detect and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive administrative files, aligning with the security requirements outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and other industry standards for secure system administration.