CVE-2017-2621 in Orchestration
Summary
by MITRE
An access-control flaw was found in the OpenStack Orchestration (heat) service before 8.0.0, 6.1.0 and 7.0.2 where a service log directory was improperly made world readable. A malicious system user could exploit this flaw to access sensitive information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/27/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-2621 represents a critical access control flaw within the OpenStack Orchestration service known as Heat. This issue affected versions prior to 8.0.0, 6.1.0, and 7.0.2, creating a significant security risk for cloud environments that rely on OpenStack's orchestration capabilities. The flaw stems from improper permission settings on service log directories, which were inadvertently configured to be world-readable, exposing sensitive operational data to unauthorized users within the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the misconfiguration of file system permissions within the Heat service's logging infrastructure. When service logs are made world-readable, any user account on the system can access the log files containing potentially sensitive information such as API keys, user credentials, system configurations, and operational details. This misconfiguration violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and proper access control enforcement. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-732, which specifically addresses incorrect permissions for critical resources, and represents a classic example of improper privilege management in cloud service implementations.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations deploying OpenStack Heat services. Malicious actors with access to any system user account can exploit this flaw to extract sensitive information from log files, potentially leading to credential exposure, system compromise, or unauthorized access to cloud resources. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as attackers can use the gathered intelligence to plan further attacks, escalate privileges, or conduct reconnaissance against other system components. The vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly minor permission misconfigurations can create significant security weaknesses in cloud infrastructure services.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating their OpenStack Heat installations to versions 8.0.0, 6.1.0, or 7.0.2 where the issue has been resolved. Additionally, system administrators should conduct immediate audits of log directory permissions and ensure that all service logs are properly secured with restrictive permissions. The remediation process should include implementing proper access control policies, regular security scanning for permission misconfigurations, and establishing monitoring procedures to detect unauthorized access attempts to sensitive directories. This vulnerability highlights the importance of following security best practices as outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly in the privilege escalation and credential access domains, where such misconfigurations can facilitate lateral movement and persistent access within cloud environments.