CVE-2017-2589 in hawtio Servlet
Summary
by MITRE
It was discovered that the hawtio servlet 1.4 uses a single HttpClient instance to proxy requests with a persistent cookie store (cookies are stored locally and are not passed between the client and the end URL) which means all clients using that proxy are sharing the same cookies.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/25/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-2589 resides within the hawtio servlet version 1.4, a web-based administration tool commonly used for managing java enterprise applications. This flaw represents a critical security oversight that fundamentally compromises the isolation between different users accessing the same proxy service. The vulnerability stems from the improper implementation of HTTP client handling within the servlet's proxy functionality, creating a scenario where multiple concurrent users inadvertently share authentication state information.
The technical flaw manifests through the servlet's use of a single HttpClient instance configured with a persistent cookie store for proxy operations. This design choice directly violates fundamental security principles by allowing cookies collected during one user's session to persist and be reused by subsequent users who access the same proxy endpoint. The cookie store operates locally within the servlet process rather than maintaining separate cookie contexts for individual clients, creating an environment where session information becomes intermixed across different user sessions. This behavior effectively enables session hijacking and cross-user data leakage scenarios, as authentication tokens, session identifiers, and other sensitive cookie-based authentication mechanisms become shared among all proxy consumers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data leakage to encompass full authentication bypass capabilities and potential privilege escalation scenarios. When multiple users access the same hawtio servlet proxy endpoint, they inadvertently share the same authenticated session context, meaning that any user could potentially access resources and perform actions that should be restricted to other users. This vulnerability particularly affects environments where the servlet is used for administrative access to enterprise applications, as it allows unauthorized users to gain access to sensitive management interfaces and potentially escalate their privileges within the target system. The persistent nature of the cookie store means that this vulnerability remains active for the duration of the servlet process, creating an ongoing risk that persists across multiple user sessions.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses "Information Exposure," and CWE-306, which covers "Missing Authentication Check." The flaw also maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1566 for credential access through exploitation of weak authentication mechanisms and T1078 for legitimate credentials usage. The vulnerability demonstrates poor software design practices related to resource management and session handling, particularly in multi-user environments where isolation between users must be maintained. Organizations utilizing hawtio servlet versions 1.4 should immediately implement mitigations including updating to patched versions, implementing proper cookie isolation mechanisms, or deploying additional authentication layers to prevent unauthorized access to administrative functions.
The remediation approach requires immediate patching of the hawtio servlet to version 1.5 or later where the cookie handling has been corrected to maintain separate cookie stores for each user session. Alternative mitigations include implementing per-user HttpClient instances, disabling cookie persistence for proxy operations, or configuring the servlet to use separate cookie stores for different user contexts. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments to identify other potential instances of similar cookie sharing vulnerabilities within their application infrastructure, as this pattern of improper session isolation represents a common security anti-pattern that can lead to significant compromise of user authentication and authorization mechanisms.