CVE-2015-7331 in mcollective-puppet-agent Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The mcollective-puppet-agent plugin before 1.11.1 for Puppet allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors involving the --server argument.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/31/2017
The mcollective-puppet-agent plugin vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-7331 represents a critical remote code execution flaw affecting Puppet infrastructure management systems. This vulnerability specifically impacts versions prior to 1.11.1 of the mcollective-puppet-agent plugin, which is a component used for managing puppet agent configurations across distributed systems. The issue arises from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the plugin's handling of command-line arguments, particularly the --server argument that is commonly used for specifying puppet server endpoints in distributed orchestration scenarios.
The technical flaw manifests when the plugin processes the --server argument without adequate validation of user-supplied input, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary commands that get executed within the context of the mcollective service. This represents a classic command injection vulnerability where attacker-controlled data flows directly into system execution contexts. The vulnerability maps to CWE-77, Command Injection, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter. The flaw occurs because the plugin fails to properly sanitize or escape command-line parameters before incorporating them into system calls or configuration processes that ultimately execute on the target system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on systems running affected versions of the mcollective-puppet-agent plugin. This compromise can lead to full system takeover, data exfiltration, lateral movement within the network, and potential escalation to other systems within the Puppet-managed infrastructure. Organizations using Puppet for configuration management and orchestration are particularly at risk since the mcollective framework is designed for distributed system management, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to establish persistent access across multiple nodes. The vulnerability can be exploited from remote locations without requiring authentication, making it especially dangerous in environments where Puppet infrastructure is exposed to untrusted networks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-7331 include immediate upgrading to mcollective-puppet-agent version 1.11.1 or later, which contains patches addressing the command injection vulnerability. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to Puppet master servers and mcollective endpoints, ensuring these critical infrastructure components are not directly exposed to untrusted networks. Additional protective measures include implementing strict input validation for all command-line arguments, using privilege separation techniques, and monitoring system logs for suspicious command execution patterns. Security teams should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their Puppet infrastructure to identify any other potentially affected components and ensure proper access controls are implemented around configuration management systems. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of updated versions in staging environments before deployment to production systems to prevent service disruption while addressing the security vulnerability.