CVE-2016-6310 in RHEV
Summary
by MITRE
oVirt Engine discloses the ENGINE_HTTPS_PKI_TRUST_STORE_PASSWORD in /var/log/ovirt-engine/engine.log file in RHEV before 4.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/09/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-6310 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within the oVirt Engine platform, specifically affecting Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization environments prior to version 4.0. This vulnerability exposes sensitive credential information through log file contents, creating significant security risks for virtualized infrastructure deployments. The issue manifests when the engine logs contain the ENGINE_HTTPS_PKI_TRUST_STORE_PASSWORD, which is a critical component for establishing secure communication within the virtualization environment.
The technical flaw stems from improper handling of sensitive configuration parameters within the oVirt Engine logging mechanism. When the system initializes and processes HTTPS PKI trust store configurations, the ENGINE_HTTPS_PKI_TRUST_STORE_PASSWORD value is written to the /var/log/ovirt-engine/engine.log file without adequate sanitization or obfuscation. This occurs during normal operational procedures when the engine performs certificate validation and trust store management operations, making the vulnerability exploitable during routine system operations rather than requiring special conditions or malicious input.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential exposure, as it fundamentally compromises the security posture of virtualized environments. Attackers who gain access to the engine.log files can directly extract the trust store password, which typically grants access to the entire certificate trust infrastructure used by the oVirt Engine. This credential can then be used to impersonate legitimate system components, decrypt communications, or establish unauthorized access to virtualized resources. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality and integrity of the entire virtualization platform, as the trust store password often provides access to multiple system components and services within the virtualized environment.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and CWE-522 (Insufficiently Protected Credentials) within the CWE classification system, representing a clear violation of information security principles. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a Credential Access technique, specifically leveraging the "T1552.001 - Unsecured Credentials" tactic, where adversaries exploit improperly secured sensitive information. The vulnerability also aligns with the Privilege Escalation and Credential Access phases of the attack lifecycle, as access to trust store credentials can enable attackers to escalate their privileges within the virtualized environment.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including restricting access to the engine.log files through proper file system permissions and access controls, implementing log rotation policies to prevent long-term storage of sensitive information, and ensuring that all systems are upgraded to oVirt Engine version 4.0 or later where this vulnerability has been addressed. Additionally, security monitoring should include detection of unauthorized access attempts to sensitive log files and implementation of automated scanning for sensitive information within log contents. The remediation process should also involve comprehensive review of all system logging practices to prevent similar information disclosure vulnerabilities in other components of the virtualization infrastructure.