CVE-2016-7075 in OpenShift Enterprise
Summary
by MITRE
It was found that Kubernetes as used by Openshift Enterprise 3 did not correctly validate X.509 client intermediate certificate host name fields. An attacker could use this flaw to bypass authentication requirements by using a specially crafted X.509 certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/08/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-7075 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw within the Kubernetes container orchestration platform as implemented in Red Hat OpenShift Enterprise 3. This security weakness stems from insufficient validation of X.509 certificate hostname fields during the certificate verification process, creating a pathway for malicious actors to circumvent the intended security controls. The flaw specifically affects the certificate validation logic that should ensure proper hostname matching between client certificates and the target system, allowing attackers to exploit this gap in validation mechanisms.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper implementation of X.509 certificate hostname validation within the Kubernetes authentication framework. When client certificates are presented for authentication purposes, the system should rigorously verify that the certificate's hostname fields align with the expected target host. However, the flawed implementation fails to properly validate these fields, enabling attackers to construct certificates with manipulated hostname entries that still pass the validation checks. This weakness falls under the broader category of certificate validation flaws that can lead to serious security implications when authentication mechanisms are compromised.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple authentication bypass, as it fundamentally undermines the security posture of OpenShift Enterprise 3 deployments. An attacker who successfully exploits this flaw can gain unauthorized access to protected resources, potentially leading to data breaches, system compromise, and unauthorized manipulation of containerized applications. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the core authentication infrastructure that protects access to container orchestration services, making it a prime target for malicious actors seeking to establish persistent access within containerized environments. This weakness directly violates security principles that require strong authentication mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access to protected systems.
Organizations utilizing OpenShift Enterprise 3 should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches that address the certificate validation logic. Additionally, system administrators should review and strengthen certificate management practices, ensuring that proper certificate validation procedures are in place and that all certificates are properly validated against expected hostname values. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of comprehensive certificate validation in security-critical systems and highlights the need for robust security controls in container orchestration platforms. This flaw aligns with CWE-295 which addresses improper certificate validation and represents a significant concern for organizations implementing containerized infrastructure solutions. The attack vector for this vulnerability follows the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques, where an attacker leverages weak certificate validation to gain unauthorized access to protected resources, potentially escalating their privileges within the containerized environment and compromising the overall security infrastructure of the deployment.