CVE-2016-4457 in CloudForms
Summary
by MITRE
CloudForms Management Engine before 5.8 includes a default SSL/TLS certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/24/2025
The CloudForms Management Engine vulnerability CVE-2016-4457 represents a critical security flaw in the Red Hat CloudForms platform where the system ships with a default SSL/TLS certificate that is widely known and easily accessible. This vulnerability falls under the category of weak cryptographic practices and default credential issues, specifically addressing the improper implementation of secure communication protocols. The default certificate configuration creates a significant risk for organizations deploying CloudForms Management Engine versions prior to 5.8, as it allows attackers to easily establish trust relationships with the system and potentially intercept or manipulate communications. This issue is particularly concerning because it directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of data transmitted through the management engine's secure channels.
The technical flaw manifests when the CloudForms Management Engine is installed without proper certificate customization, leaving the system configured with a well-known default certificate that has been publicly documented and shared across various security research communities. This default certificate typically contains predictable parameters and is often included in threat intelligence feeds and attack toolkits. The vulnerability creates a path for man-in-the-middle attacks where adversaries can impersonate legitimate CloudForms systems, potentially gaining unauthorized access to management functions, extracting sensitive information, or modifying system configurations. The weakness is categorized as a cryptographic vulnerability with implications for authentication and data protection, aligning with CWE-310 and CWE-326 categories related to weak cryptography and improper cryptographic key generation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple certificate replacement, as it fundamentally compromises the trust model of the CloudForms environment. Organizations utilizing affected versions may experience unauthorized access to their management infrastructure, potential data exfiltration, and disruption of critical management functions. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform credential harvesting, gain persistence within the environment, or escalate privileges through the compromised communication channels. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for lateral movement within networks where CloudForms Management Engine serves as a central management point, as the default certificate can be used to establish trusted connections with other systems. This represents a significant risk for compliance and security auditing, as it violates fundamental security principles of unique identification and secure communication.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-4457 require immediate certificate replacement procedures within the CloudForms Management Engine environment. Organizations must generate and deploy unique SSL/TLS certificates that are properly configured with strong cryptographic parameters, including appropriate key lengths and secure certificate authorities. The recommended approach involves implementing a certificate management process that ensures all systems are configured with unique certificates during deployment, rather than relying on default configurations. Security teams should also implement monitoring for unauthorized certificate changes and establish automated processes to detect and alert on any attempts to use default certificates within the environment. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.001 for unsecured credentials and T1046 for network service scanning, as attackers may attempt to identify systems using default certificates for further exploitation. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to verify proper certificate deployment and ensure that no systems remain configured with default certificates, while maintaining compliance with security standards such as NIST SP 800-53 and ISO 27001 requirements for secure configuration management.