CVE-2016-5406 in JBoss Enterprise Application Platform
Summary
by MITRE
The domain controller in Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) 7.x before 7.0.2 allows remote authenticated users to gain privileges by leveraging failure to propagate administrative RBAC configuration to all slaves.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/21/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5406 affects Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform version 7.x prior to 7.0.2, specifically targeting the domain controller component. This issue represents a critical privilege escalation flaw that undermines the security model of the application server's domain management architecture. The domain controller serves as the central management point for distributed application server configurations, coordinating administrative operations across multiple slave nodes within a domain deployment. When the domain controller fails to properly propagate administrative role-based access control (RBAC) configurations to all slave instances, it creates a persistent security gap that malicious authenticated users can exploit to elevate their privileges.
The technical flaw stems from an incomplete implementation of the RBAC propagation mechanism within the domain controller's administrative subsystem. In properly functioning systems, administrative permissions and access controls should be consistently distributed across all nodes within a domain configuration to maintain uniform security policies. However, this vulnerability occurs when administrative RBAC settings are applied to the master domain controller but fail to be effectively communicated or synchronized to slave instances. The failure manifests as inconsistent access control policies where authenticated users may possess administrative capabilities on the master node but lack corresponding privileges on slave nodes, creating a scenario where users can leverage their access to the master to gain unauthorized administrative control over slave components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass potential complete system compromise within domain deployments. An authenticated attacker who gains access to the domain controller can exploit this flaw to perform administrative operations on slave nodes that should normally be restricted. This could enable attackers to modify configurations, deploy malicious applications, access sensitive data, or even disable security controls on slave instances. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely on domain-based deployments where multiple application servers work together under centralized management, as it creates a situation where administrative access on one node does not guarantee consistent administrative control across the entire domain. The issue becomes more pronounced in environments where the domain controller handles complex administrative tasks and where slave nodes may contain critical business applications or sensitive data processing components.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Red Hat JBoss EAP 7.0.2 or later versions where this vulnerability has been addressed through proper RBAC propagation mechanisms. System administrators should also conduct comprehensive audits of their domain configurations to identify any inconsistencies in RBAC settings across master and slave nodes. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which describes improper access control, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and privilege escalation. Additional defensive measures include implementing network segmentation to limit access to domain controller components, enabling detailed logging of administrative operations across all domain nodes, and conducting regular security assessments to verify consistent RBAC propagation. Organizations should also consider implementing additional monitoring controls to detect unusual administrative activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The remediation process should include thorough testing of domain configurations post-upgrade to ensure that all slave nodes properly receive and maintain administrative RBAC settings, preventing the recurrence of similar propagation failures.