CVE-2015-8470 in Puppet Enterprise
Summary
by MITRE
The console in Puppet Enterprise 3.7.x, 3.8.x, and 2015.2.x does not set the secure flag for the JSESSIONID cookie in an HTTPS session, which makes it easier for remote attackers to capture this cookie by intercepting its transmission within an HTTP session.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/13/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2015-8470 represents a critical security flaw in Puppet Enterprise console implementations across multiple version streams including 3.7.x, 3.8.x, and 2015.2.x. This issue fundamentally undermines the security of web-based authentication mechanisms by failing to properly implement cookie security attributes that are essential for protecting session integrity in encrypted communications. The flaw specifically affects the JSESSIONID cookie which serves as the primary means of maintaining user sessions within the Puppet Enterprise management console.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper cookie attribute configuration within the web application's response handling mechanism. When users establish HTTPS sessions with the Puppet Enterprise console, the system should automatically set the secure flag on session cookies to ensure they are only transmitted over encrypted connections. However, in affected versions, the console fails to include this critical security attribute, allowing the JSESSIONID cookie to be transmitted in cleartext over HTTP connections. This misconfiguration creates an exploitable condition where network traffic can be intercepted and analyzed using standard man-in-the-middle attack techniques.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability significantly increases the attack surface for remote adversaries seeking to compromise Puppet Enterprise environments. Attackers can leverage passive network monitoring tools to capture the unsecured session cookies during transmission, potentially gaining unauthorized access to administrative functions and sensitive configuration data managed by the Puppet console. The impact extends beyond simple session hijacking as compromised console access provides attackers with elevated privileges to modify infrastructure configurations, deploy malicious code, and potentially escalate their access to other systems within the managed environment.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-614, which specifically addresses the insecure transmission of sensitive information through the use of cookies without proper security attributes. This weakness creates a direct pathway for credential theft and session manipulation attacks that violate fundamental web security principles. Additionally, the flaw maps to ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers credential harvesting through network sniffing and man-in-the-middle attacks, demonstrating how this vulnerability can be leveraged as part of broader attack campaigns targeting infrastructure management systems.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including mandatory HTTPS enforcement, proper cookie attribute configuration, and network segmentation to isolate management consoles from untrusted network segments. System administrators must also conduct comprehensive security audits of all web applications to identify similar cookie configuration issues and ensure that security attributes such as Secure, HttpOnly, and SameSite are properly implemented across all session management mechanisms. Regular security updates and patch management processes should be prioritized to prevent similar vulnerabilities from persisting in production environments.