CVE-2017-15137 in OpenShift
Summary
by MITRE
The OpenShift image import whitelist failed to enforce restrictions correctly when running commands such as "oc tag", for example. This could allow a user with access to OpenShift to run images from registries that should not be allowed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/09/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-15137 represents a critical authorization bypass in the OpenShift container platform's image import whitelist mechanism. This flaw specifically affects the enforcement of registry access controls when users execute commands through the oc tag functionality. The OpenShift platform, designed to provide enterprise-grade container orchestration capabilities, implements various security controls to prevent unauthorized access to container images from potentially malicious or untrusted registries. The whitelist mechanism serves as a fundamental security boundary, ensuring that only images from approved sources can be imported and executed within the platform's controlled environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper validation within the image import pipeline where the system fails to correctly verify registry permissions during tag operations. When users execute oc tag commands, the platform should validate that the target registry is included in the configured whitelist before allowing the operation to proceed. However, the flaw allows malicious actors to bypass these restrictions and import images from registries that have been explicitly blacklisted or excluded from the allowed sources. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a failure in the platform's access control enforcement mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized image imports, as it provides attackers with potential pathways for privilege escalation and lateral movement within containerized environments. An attacker with access to OpenShift could leverage this vulnerability to pull images from malicious registries, potentially deploying malware or backdoors within the cluster. The consequences are particularly severe in enterprise environments where OpenShift clusters often host sensitive applications and data. The vulnerability undermines the security posture of the entire platform by allowing unauthorized access to container images, potentially enabling supply chain attacks or the deployment of compromised container images that could compromise the integrity of the entire cluster.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of affected OpenShift versions, followed by comprehensive review of registry access policies and whitelist configurations. Organizations should implement additional monitoring and alerting mechanisms to detect unauthorized image imports, particularly those originating from previously blocked registries. The remediation process should include verification that all oc tag operations properly enforce registry restrictions and that the whitelist validation occurs at the appropriate point in the command execution pipeline. Security teams should also consider implementing network-level restrictions to prevent access to unauthorized registries, while ensuring that existing security controls such as image scanning and runtime protection remain active to detect any malicious activity that may have occurred through this vulnerability. This issue aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and represents a significant concern for organizations implementing container security frameworks under ATT&CK's privilege escalation and initial access tactics.