CVE-2016-9590 in puppet-swift
Summary
by MITRE
puppet-swift before versions 8.2.1, 9.4.4 is vulnerable to an information-disclosure in Red Hat OpenStack Platform director's installation of Object Storage (swift). During installation, the Puppet script responsible for deploying the service incorrectly removes and recreates the proxy-server.conf file with world-readable permissions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/07/2023
The vulnerability described in CVE-2016-9590 represents a critical information disclosure issue within the puppet-swift component of Red Hat OpenStack Platform director installations. This flaw specifically affects versions prior to 8.2.1 and 9.4.4, where the automated deployment process fails to maintain proper file permissions during the installation of Object Storage services. The vulnerability stems from a fundamental misconfiguration in the Puppet deployment scripts that govern how swift components are installed and configured within OpenStack environments.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs during the installation phase when the Puppet manifest responsible for deploying the swift proxy server executes a sequence of file operations. The system first removes the existing proxy-server.conf configuration file and subsequently recreates it with inadequate permission settings. This process creates a window of opportunity where the newly created file inherits world-readable permissions, allowing any user or process on the system to access sensitive configuration data. The flaw demonstrates poor privilege management and inadequate file access control implementation that violates fundamental security principles.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the proxy-server.conf file typically contains critical configuration parameters that may include authentication credentials, storage backend details, network configurations, and other sensitive operational data. An attacker with access to the system can exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to configuration information that could be used to escalate privileges or launch further attacks against the OpenStack infrastructure. This weakness directly aligns with CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource, which emphasizes the importance of proper access control mechanisms for system-critical components.
The security implications of this vulnerability are particularly severe in cloud environments where multiple tenants share infrastructure resources. The information disclosure could potentially expose internal network topology, authentication mechanisms, or storage configurations that would otherwise remain protected. This flaw represents a significant gap in the security posture of OpenStack deployments and demonstrates the critical importance of proper file permission management in automated deployment systems. Organizations relying on Red Hat OpenStack Platform director for swift service deployment face increased risk of unauthorized access and potential system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected puppet-swift components to versions 8.2.1 or 9.4.4 where the file permission handling has been corrected. System administrators should also conduct thorough audits of existing swift configuration files to identify any instances where world-readable permissions may have been inadvertently set during the vulnerable installation process. Additional security controls including regular file permission monitoring, automated compliance checking, and proper access control enforcement should be implemented to prevent similar issues in other deployment scripts. The remediation process should align with ATT&CK technique T1548.001: Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism to ensure proper privilege management is maintained throughout the deployment lifecycle.