CVE-2016-10628 in selenium-wrapper
Summary
by MITRE
selenium-wrapper is a selenium server wrapper, including installation and chrome webdriver. selenium-wrapper 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 • 02/11/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-10628 affects selenium-wrapper, a tool designed to simplify the installation and management of Selenium server and Chrome WebDriver components. This tool operates by automatically downloading binary resources from remote servers to facilitate automated web browser testing capabilities. The fundamental security flaw lies in the tool's reliance on unencrypted HTTP protocols for downloading these critical binary components, creating a significant attack surface that can be exploited by malicious actors positioned within the network infrastructure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the insecure download mechanism that fails to validate the integrity or authenticity of downloaded binaries. When selenium-wrapper performs HTTP requests to retrieve Selenium server or Chrome WebDriver binaries, it does not implement any form of cryptographic verification or certificate validation. This design choice exposes the system to man-in-the-middle attacks where an attacker can intercept the network traffic between the client and the remote server. The attack vector becomes particularly dangerous when the attacker can position themselves between the victim and the target server, either through network interception techniques or by compromising network infrastructure components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it can potentially enable remote code execution within the context of the user's system. When an attacker successfully substitutes a legitimate binary with a malicious one during the download process, they can execute arbitrary code on the victim's machine with the privileges of the user running selenium-wrapper. This represents a critical security risk for development environments, continuous integration systems, and automated testing frameworks that rely on selenium-wrapper for their operations. The vulnerability essentially undermines the trust model of the tool's installation process, allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access to systems that trust the automated download mechanism.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-319, which addresses the exposure of sensitive information through improper use of network protocols, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for remote code execution through compromised software supply chains. The attack scenario typically involves network-based reconnaissance followed by traffic interception and replacement of legitimate binaries with malicious payloads. Organizations using selenium-wrapper in environments where network security cannot be guaranteed are particularly vulnerable to this type of supply chain compromise. The risk is compounded by the widespread adoption of automated testing frameworks that may unknowingly pull in compromised binaries, potentially affecting multiple systems within an organization's infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of secure download mechanisms that enforce cryptographic verification of downloaded binaries. The recommended approach involves transitioning from HTTP to HTTPS protocols for all binary downloads, implementing cryptographic checksum validation, and potentially utilizing package managers with built-in integrity verification capabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level controls such as SSL inspection policies and traffic monitoring to detect and prevent unauthorized binary substitutions. Additionally, regular security audits of automated toolchains and dependency management processes should be conducted to identify and remediate similar insecure practices across the software development lifecycle.