CVE-2017-10616 in Networks Contrail
Summary
by MITRE
The ifmap service that comes bundled with Juniper Networks Contrail releases uses hard coded credentials. Affected releases are Contrail releases 2.2 prior to 2.21.4; 3.0 prior to 3.0.3.4; 3.1 prior to 3.1.4.0; 3.2 prior to 3.2.5.0. CVE-2017-10616 and CVE-2017-10617 can be chained together and have a combined CVSSv3 score of 5.8 (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-10616 represents a critical security flaw within Juniper Networks Contrail network virtualization platform where the IFMAP service utilizes hard-coded credentials for authentication purposes. This issue affects multiple major releases of the Contrail platform including version 2.2 before 2.21.4, 3.0 before 3.0.3.4, 3.1 before 3.1.4.0, and 3.2 before 3.2.5.0, creating a widespread security concern across the network virtualization ecosystem. The IFMAP service serves as a crucial component for managing and exchanging information about network resources and their relationships, making it a prime target for malicious actors seeking unauthorized access to network infrastructure.
The technical implementation flaw stems from the inclusion of static, well-known credentials within the service configuration, which violates fundamental security principles of credential management and access control. This hard-coded authentication mechanism eliminates the possibility of proper credential rotation and creates a persistent attack vector that remains exploitable across all affected versions. The vulnerability maps directly to CWE-798, which specifically addresses the use of hard-coded credentials in software, and represents a classic example of insecure credential storage that undermines the entire security architecture of the platform. The IFMAP service's reliance on these static credentials means that any individual who knows or can discover these values gains unauthorized access to the service's functionality.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to potentially manipulate network configurations and disrupt service availability. When combined with CVE-2017-10617, the threat landscape becomes even more dangerous with a combined CVSSv3 score of 5.8, indicating a medium severity threat that could be exploited by attackers with network access. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality aspect of the security triad by allowing unauthorized parties to access sensitive network information that the IFMAP service is designed to manage. The service operates with network-level privileges, meaning successful exploitation could lead to broader network compromise and unauthorized data access.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to the patched versions mentioned in the CVE description, which address the hard-coded credential issue through proper authentication mechanisms. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive audits of their Contrail deployments to identify any instances of the vulnerable service and ensure that hard-coded credentials have been properly removed or replaced with secure authentication methods. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following security best practices such as the principle of least privilege and regular security assessments, as highlighted by ATT&CK framework techniques related to credential access and privilege escalation. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect any unauthorized access attempts to the IFMAP service, which may indicate exploitation attempts. The incident underscores the critical need for secure configuration management and the elimination of hardcoded credentials in enterprise network infrastructure to prevent similar vulnerabilities from compromising network security posture.