CVE-2015-5172 in Runtime
Summary
by MITRE
Cloud Foundry Runtime cf-release before 216, UAA before 2.5.2, and Pivotal Cloud Foundry (PCF) Elastic Runtime before 1.7.0 allow attackers to have unspecified impact by leveraging failure to expire password reset links.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/30/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2015-5172 represents a critical security flaw in Cloud Foundry's authentication and authorization infrastructure, specifically affecting the User Account and Authentication (UAA) component and the broader Cloud Foundry runtime environment. This issue manifests when password reset functionality fails to properly expire reset links, creating a window of opportunity for malicious actors to exploit the system. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Cloud Foundry components including cf-release versions prior to 216, UAA versions prior to 2.5.2, and Pivotal Cloud Foundry Elastic Runtime versions prior to 1.7.0, indicating a widespread impact across the Cloud Foundry ecosystem. The unspecified impact designation suggests that attackers could potentially gain unauthorized access to user accounts, compromise sensitive data, or execute further attacks within the compromised environment.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate session management and time-based validation of password reset tokens within the UAA service. When users request password resets, the system generates temporary authentication tokens that should have a limited lifespan to prevent unauthorized usage. However, in the affected versions, these tokens fail to expire properly, allowing attackers to reuse valid reset links even after they should have become invalid. This represents a classic case of insufficient time-based validation and weak session management, which can be categorized under CWE-613 Insufficient Session Expiration and CWE-306 Missing Authentication for Critical Function. The vulnerability essentially creates a persistent backdoor through which attackers can bypass normal authentication mechanisms and gain access to user accounts without proper credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it can enable attackers to escalate privileges, perform account takeovers, and potentially gain access to sensitive organizational data within Cloud Foundry environments. Given that Cloud Foundry is widely used for deploying enterprise applications and hosting sensitive workloads, the exploitation of this vulnerability could result in significant data breaches, service disruption, and compliance violations. The attack surface is particularly concerning because Cloud Foundry environments often host mission-critical applications, making the potential for business disruption and financial loss substantial. Security professionals must consider the implications of this vulnerability in relation to the ATT&CK framework, specifically under the T1078 Valid Accounts technique, where attackers leverage compromised credentials to maintain persistent access to systems.
Organizations utilizing affected Cloud Foundry versions should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of cf-release, UAA, and PCF Elastic Runtime components. The recommended approach involves applying the vendor-supplied patches that address the improper token expiration mechanism and implement proper time-based validation for password reset links. Additionally, security teams should monitor authentication logs for suspicious activity related to password reset requests and implement additional controls such as rate limiting for reset requests, enhanced monitoring of failed authentication attempts, and regular security assessments of authentication flows. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper session management and time-based validation in authentication systems, serving as a reminder of the critical nature of credential management in modern cloud environments where automated attacks can quickly exploit such weaknesses. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication as an additional layer of protection and ensure that all authentication tokens have appropriate expiration times and are properly validated against system time constraints to prevent similar issues in the future.