CVE-2016-0897 in Cloud Foundry Ops Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Pivotal Cloud Foundry (PCF) Ops Manager before 1.6.17 and 1.7.x before 1.7.8, when vCloud or vSphere is used, does not properly enable SSH access for operators, which has unspecified impact and remote attack vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/18/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0897 affects Pivotal Cloud Foundry Ops Manager versions prior to 1.6.17 and 1.7.x versions before 1.7.8 when deployed with vCloud or vSphere infrastructure components. This issue represents a critical security flaw in the cloud infrastructure management layer that governs access controls for system operators. The vulnerability specifically pertains to improper SSH access configuration, which creates unauthorized entry points into the managed cloud environment. From a cybersecurity perspective, this represents a privilege escalation and lateral movement vector that could be exploited by malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to critical infrastructure components.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate implementation of SSH access controls within the Ops Manager's configuration management processes. When vCloud or vSphere environments are utilized, the system fails to properly enforce secure SSH access policies that should restrict operator access to authorized personnel only. This misconfiguration creates a scenario where unauthorized individuals could potentially establish SSH sessions with elevated privileges, bypassing normal authentication and authorization mechanisms. The vulnerability manifests as a failure to properly validate or enforce SSH key management, access controls, or user permissions within the cloud infrastructure management framework. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control, specifically focusing on insufficient privileges and inadequate access control mechanisms.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-0897 extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass potential full system compromise and data exfiltration capabilities. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could gain access to sensitive operational data, manipulate cloud configurations, and potentially move laterally within the network infrastructure. The unspecified nature of the impact reflects the broad attack surface that could be compromised, including but not limited to system configuration files, user credentials, and operational logs. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability maps to multiple ATT&CK techniques including privilege escalation, lateral movement, and credential access. The remote attack vectors suggest that exploitation could occur without physical access to the infrastructure, making it particularly dangerous for cloud environments where network exposure is inherent.
Security professionals should prioritize immediate remediation of this vulnerability by upgrading to the patched versions of Pivotal Cloud Foundry Ops Manager. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive review of existing SSH configurations, implementation of proper key management protocols, and enforcement of least privilege access controls. Organizations utilizing vCloud or vSphere environments should conduct thorough security assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential compromise. Additionally, monitoring and logging of SSH access attempts should be enhanced to detect unauthorized access patterns. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper access control implementation in cloud infrastructure management systems and demonstrates how seemingly minor configuration flaws can create significant security risks. Compliance with industry standards such as NIST SP 800-53 and ISO 27001 requires proper implementation of access control measures, making this vulnerability a clear indicator of security control failures that must be addressed through comprehensive security program remediation.