CVE-2016-4443 in Enterprise Virtualization Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization (RHEV) Manager 3.6 allows local users to obtain encryption keys, certificates, and other sensitive information by reading the engine-setup log file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/08/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-4443 affects Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Manager version 3.6, presenting a significant security risk through improper log file handling. This issue stems from the system's failure to adequately protect sensitive information during the engine-setup process, creating an avenue for local privilege escalation through unauthorized access to critical cryptographic materials. The flaw resides in the logging mechanism where sensitive data including encryption keys, certificates, and other confidential information are written to log files with insufficient access controls, allowing any local user to read these files and extract valuable cryptographic assets. This represents a direct violation of information protection principles and demonstrates poor secure coding practices in handling sensitive data during system initialization and configuration processes.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the fundamental weakness in access control mechanisms within the RHEV Manager environment. During the engine-setup process, the system generates log files containing cryptographic keys and certificates that are stored with default permissions, typically allowing read access to all local users. This misconfiguration creates an information disclosure scenario where attackers can leverage local access to retrieve sensitive cryptographic material that should remain protected within secure system components. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses improper exposure of sensitive information, and specifically manifests as a failure to implement proper file system permissions and access controls for sensitive log data. Attackers can exploit this weakness by simply executing standard file reading operations against the designated log file locations, bypassing more complex attack vectors that would typically be required to access such critical system information.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-4443 extends beyond simple information disclosure, potentially enabling more sophisticated attacks including privilege escalation and cryptographic key compromise. Once an attacker gains access to the encryption keys and certificates stored in the log files, they can potentially impersonate legitimate system components, decrypt sensitive communications, or perform unauthorized system modifications. This vulnerability undermines the integrity and confidentiality of the entire RHEV Manager environment, as the compromised cryptographic materials could be used to forge system communications or gain elevated privileges within the virtualization infrastructure. The risk is particularly elevated in environments where multiple users share the same physical or virtual machines, as the local access required for exploitation is often readily available. This issue directly relates to ATT&CK technique T1003.001, which covers OS credential dumping, and T1071.004, which addresses application layer protocols, as the compromised keys could enable further lateral movement and system compromise.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including restricting file permissions on engine-setup log files to ensure only authorized system processes can access them, implementing proper log rotation and cleanup procedures, and conducting regular security audits to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other system components. The recommended approach involves setting restrictive file permissions using chmod commands to limit access to specific system users or groups, configuring log management systems to automatically purge sensitive information from logs, and implementing monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized access attempts to critical system files. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing mandatory access controls and privilege separation mechanisms to ensure that even if one user gains access to the system, they cannot easily escalate privileges or access other sensitive components. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to verify that sensitive information is no longer accessible through standard file reading operations while maintaining proper logging capabilities for legitimate administrative purposes.