CVE-2016-10579 in Chromedriver
Summary
by MITRE
Chromedriver is an NPM wrapper for selenium ChromeDriver. Chromedriver before 2.26.1 downloads binary resources over HTTP, which leaves it vulnerable to MITM attacks. It may be possible to cause remote code execution (RCE) by swapping out the requested binary with an attacker controlled binary if the attacker is on the network or positioned in between the user and the remote server.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/10/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-10579 affects Chromedriver, a Node Package Manager wrapper for Selenium ChromeDriver that facilitates automated browser testing and web scraping operations. This tool serves as a critical component in many web application testing frameworks and continuous integration pipelines, making its security implications particularly significant for organizations relying on automated testing infrastructure. The vulnerability stems from the software's reliance on unencrypted HTTP connections when downloading binary resources, creating a fundamental security flaw that exposes systems to man-in-the-middle attacks.
The technical flaw resides in the insecure download mechanism that fails to implement proper cryptographic verification of downloaded binary components. When Chromedriver versions prior to 2.26.1 attempt to fetch ChromeDriver binaries, they establish connections using the HTTP protocol without any integrity checking or authentication mechanisms. This design decision creates a window of opportunity for attackers positioned within the network traffic path to intercept and replace legitimate binary files with malicious alternatives. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-319, which addresses cryptographic vulnerabilities involving the use of insecure communication channels, and represents a classic example of insufficient transport layer protection. Attackers can exploit this weakness by performing DNS spoofing, ARP cache poisoning, or network traffic interception to substitute the intended ChromeDriver binary with a compromised version that contains backdoors or malicious code.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it can lead to full remote code execution within the context of the victim system. When an attacker successfully substitutes the legitimate ChromeDriver binary with a malicious one, the compromised component can execute arbitrary code on the target machine, potentially gaining access to sensitive data, establishing persistent backdoors, or using the compromised system as a launchpad for further attacks. This vulnerability particularly affects automated testing environments where developers and CI/CD pipelines frequently download and install dependencies without manual verification, making organizations susceptible to supply chain attacks. The risk is amplified in environments where developers work on untrusted networks or where network security controls are insufficient to prevent such attacks. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability aligns with T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) and T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation) techniques, as it enables attackers to execute malicious code and potentially escalate privileges through compromised automation tools.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability by updating to Chromedriver version 2.26.1 or later, which incorporates secure HTTPS download mechanisms with proper certificate validation. System administrators should also consider implementing network-level controls such as HTTPS inspection, DNS security extensions, and network segmentation to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks targeting dependency downloads. Additional mitigations include implementing software supply chain security measures like package integrity verification, using private package registries, and establishing secure development practices that validate all downloaded dependencies. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure software distribution practices and highlights the need for organizations to maintain up-to-date security controls across their entire software supply chain, particularly in automated testing and development environments where dependency management occurs frequently and without manual oversight.