CVE-2016-3112 in Pulp
Summary
by MITRE
client/consumer/cli.py in Pulp before 2.8.3 writes consumer private keys to etc/pki/pulp/consumer/consumer-cert.pem as world-readable.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/08/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3112 affects the Pulp content management system version 2.8.3 and earlier, specifically within the client/consumer/cli.py component. This issue represents a critical security flaw that exposes private cryptographic keys through improper file permissions, creating significant risks for organizations relying on Pulp for content distribution and management. The vulnerability stems from the system's failure to properly secure sensitive cryptographic materials during consumer certificate generation and storage processes.
The technical flaw manifests when Pulp generates consumer certificates for client authentication, storing the private key material in the /etc/pki/pulp/consumer/consumer-cert.pem file with world-readable permissions. This means that any user account on the system can access the private key through standard file reading operations, effectively undermining the entire cryptographic security framework. The flaw violates fundamental security principles by not implementing proper access controls and privilege separation mechanisms that should be enforced for cryptographic key material. According to CWE-732, this represents an incorrect permission assignment for critical security attributes, where the system fails to properly restrict access to sensitive data. The vulnerability enables unauthorized access to the private key, which can be exploited to impersonate legitimate consumers and gain unauthorized access to content repositories.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity and confidentiality of the Pulp deployment. Attackers who gain access to the private key can perform unauthorized operations including consuming content from protected repositories, modifying consumer configurations, and potentially accessing sensitive data that should remain restricted. This vulnerability directly affects the authentication and authorization mechanisms that Pulp relies upon to secure content distribution, creating a persistent backdoor that remains active until properly addressed. Organizations using Pulp for content management may experience data breaches, unauthorized content access, and potential compromise of their entire content distribution infrastructure. The impact is particularly severe in environments where Pulp manages sensitive corporate content, software packages, or distribution channels that require strict access controls.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-3112 involve immediate remediation through upgrading to Pulp version 2.8.3 or later, where the issue has been addressed through proper file permission handling. System administrators should also implement immediate manual fixes by changing file permissions on existing consumer certificate files to restrict access to the owner only, typically using chmod 600 or similar restrictive permissions. Additional security measures include implementing proper file system monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts to cryptographic material, establishing regular security audits of key storage locations, and ensuring that privilege separation principles are enforced throughout the system. The remediation process should also include reissuing consumer certificates to ensure that compromised keys are replaced with properly secured alternatives. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper security configuration management and access control enforcement, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1552.001 for credentials in files, where adversaries seek to obtain credentials from file system locations. Organizations should also consider implementing automated security scanning tools to identify similar permission misconfigurations across their infrastructure, as this type of vulnerability can occur in other components that handle cryptographic materials.