CVE-2016-5383 in CloudForms
Summary
by MITRE
The web UI in Red Hat CloudForms 4.1 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary code via vectors involving "Lack of field filters."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/14/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5383 affects Red Hat CloudForms 4.1 web user interface, representing a critical security flaw that enables remote authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code on the target system. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and field filtering mechanisms within the web application's interface, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject and execute unauthorized commands. The vulnerability specifically targets the lack of proper field filters that should normally validate and sanitize user inputs before processing them within the application's backend systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through the web UI's handling of user-provided data fields, where inadequate sanitization allows attackers to manipulate input parameters that are subsequently processed by the application's backend services. When authenticated users interact with specific web forms or data entry points, they can craft malicious inputs that bypass normal validation checks, leading to code execution on the server. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of code injection flaws, specifically aligning with CWE-94 which describes "Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')" and CWE-79 which addresses "Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities."
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with remote code execution capabilities on the CloudForms management platform, potentially allowing full system compromise. An attacker with valid credentials can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges, access sensitive data, modify system configurations, or establish persistent access points within the cloud infrastructure. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the entire CloudForms environment, as it allows unauthorized code execution within the application's security boundaries. This could lead to data breaches, system availability disruptions, and compromise of the underlying cloud infrastructure that CloudForms manages.
Organizations utilizing Red Hat CloudForms 4.1 should immediately implement mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches, implementing network segmentation to limit access to the web UI, and enforcing strict access controls for authenticated users. Additional defensive measures should include monitoring for anomalous user activities and input patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation and sanitization practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten security principles, particularly focusing on the prevention of code injection attacks. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify similar weaknesses in other applications and ensure that field filtering mechanisms are properly implemented across all user-facing interfaces. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the TTPs related to code injection and privilege escalation, emphasizing the need for layered security approaches that include both network-level protections and application-level input validation controls.