CVE-2017-12169 in FreeIPA
Summary
by MITRE
It was found that FreeIPA 4.2.0 and later could disclose password hashes to users having the 'System: Read Stage Users' permission. A remote, authenticated attacker could potentially use this flaw to disclose the password hashes belonging to Stage Users. This security issue does not result in disclosure of password hashes belonging to active standard users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/05/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-12169 represents a significant authorization flaw within the FreeIPA identity management system affecting versions 4.2.0 and later. This issue stems from improper access controls that allow authenticated users with specific permissions to access sensitive information they should not be authorized to retrieve. The flaw specifically targets the 'System: Read Stage Users' permission, which when exploited can enable attackers to obtain password hashes from stage user accounts rather than standard active users. The vulnerability classification aligns with CWE-284, which addresses inadequate access control mechanisms, and falls under the broader category of privilege escalation vulnerabilities that can lead to unauthorized information disclosure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the permission model within FreeIPA's access control system where the 'System: Read Stage Users' permission is incorrectly scoped or implemented. This allows an authenticated attacker to bypass normal security boundaries that should prevent access to password hash information. Stage users in FreeIPA typically represent accounts that are in a transitional state during user provisioning processes, but the system fails to properly restrict access to their authentication data. The flaw operates at the application level where the authorization checks do not adequately validate whether the requesting user has legitimate need for password hash information, creating an information disclosure pathway that violates fundamental security principles.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a serious risk to organizations relying on FreeIPA for identity management. The disclosure of password hashes from stage users, while not affecting active standard users, still represents a compromise of sensitive authentication data that could be exploited in various attack scenarios. Attackers could potentially use these password hashes to conduct offline password cracking attacks, perform credential stuffing operations against other systems, or leverage the information for further privilege escalation within the organization's infrastructure. The vulnerability enables a remote authenticated attacker to exploit the system without requiring additional authentication factors, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple systems share the same authentication infrastructure.
The security implications extend beyond simple information disclosure, as this flaw can facilitate broader attacks within the network infrastructure. According to ATT&CK framework categorization, this vulnerability maps to T1078 which covers valid accounts and T1566 which covers credential access through network service providers. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including restricting the 'System: Read Stage Users' permission to only essential administrative roles, reviewing and tightening access control policies, and ensuring proper segregation of duties within the identity management system. Additionally, regular security audits of permission assignments and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts should be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of principle of least privilege implementation and proper access control design in identity management systems to prevent such unauthorized data disclosures.