CVE-2016-4985 in Ironic
Summary
by MITRE
The ironic-api service in OpenStack Ironic before 4.2.5 (Liberty) and 5.x before 5.1.2 (Mitaka) allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information about a registered node by leveraging knowledge of the MAC address of a network card belonging to that node and sending a crafted POST request to the v1/drivers/$DRIVER_NAME/vendor_passthru resource.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/02/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2016-4985 affects the ironic-api service within OpenStack Ironic, a bare metal provisioning service that manages and provisions physical servers. This issue exists in versions prior to 4.2.5 for the Liberty release and before 5.1.2 for the Mitaka release, representing a significant security flaw that undermines the confidentiality of sensitive system information. The vulnerability specifically targets the vendor_passthru resource endpoint, which is designed to handle vendor-specific operations for bare metal nodes. Attackers can exploit this weakness by knowing the MAC address of a network interface belonging to a target node and crafting a specific POST request to the v1/drivers/$DRIVER_NAME/vendor_passthru endpoint.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the ironic-api service. When a malicious actor sends a crafted POST request to the vendor_passthru resource, the system fails to properly authenticate or authorize the request based on the MAC address information provided. This allows unauthorized parties to retrieve sensitive information about registered nodes, including details about the hardware configuration, driver information, and potentially other system metadata that should remain confidential. The vulnerability operates under CWE-200, which defines weaknesses related to information exposure, specifically focusing on the disclosure of sensitive information to unauthorized actors. The flaw essentially creates an information disclosure pathway that bypasses normal access controls and authentication mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information leakage, as it provides attackers with valuable intelligence about the target infrastructure. An attacker who can determine the MAC address of a node can use this information to gather detailed data about the node's configuration, driver capabilities, and potentially even system vulnerabilities that could be exploited in subsequent attacks. This information could be leveraged to plan more sophisticated attacks against the bare metal infrastructure, potentially leading to unauthorized access to the physical servers themselves. The vulnerability particularly affects cloud environments where bare metal provisioning is used, as it undermines the security boundaries that should protect sensitive node information from unauthorized access. This weakness aligns with ATT&CK technique T1082, which involves discovering information about the target system through information gathering activities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-4985 focus on updating the OpenStack Ironic service to versions that address the vulnerability, specifically upgrading to 4.2.5 or later for Liberty releases and 5.1.2 or later for Mitaka releases. Organizations should also implement proper access controls and authentication mechanisms for the vendor_passthru endpoint, ensuring that only authorized administrators can access sensitive node information. Network segmentation and monitoring should be implemented to detect unusual patterns of access to these endpoints, particularly when requests are made using MAC address information. Additionally, security teams should conduct regular audits of API endpoints to ensure that sensitive information is not being exposed through improper access controls. The fix implemented in the patched versions addresses the root cause by strengthening input validation and ensuring that proper authentication checks are performed before disclosing node information, thereby preventing unauthorized access to sensitive system details.