CVE-2017-2628 in Red Hat
Summary
by MITRE
curl, as shipped in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 before version 7.19.7-53, did not correctly backport the fix for CVE-2015-3148 because it did not reflect the fact that the HAVE_GSSAPI define was meanwhile substituted by USE_HTTP_NEGOTIATE. This issue was introduced in RHEL 6.7 and affects RHEL 6 curl only.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/12/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-2628 represents a critical backporting failure in the curl utility distribution within Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 systems. This flaw specifically impacts versions of curl prior to 7.19.7-53, creating a security gap that persists in RHEL 6 environments where the software was improperly patched. The issue stems from a fundamental misunderstanding in the software development process where developers failed to properly account for architectural changes that occurred between the original fix implementation and the backporting effort for the RHEL 6 distribution. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-284 Access Control, as it involves improper handling of authentication mechanisms within the HTTP negotiation process.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the incorrect handling of the GSSAPI (Generic Security Services Application Program Interface) configuration during the backporting process. Originally, CVE-2015-3148 addressed a security issue related to HTTP authentication handling, but the fix required specific conditional compilation directives that were not properly maintained during the backport to RHEL 6. The development team substituted the HAVE_GSSAPI define with USE_HTTP_NEGOTIATE during the evolution of the software, yet this change was not reflected in the RHEL 6 backport. This mismatch creates a scenario where the security controls intended to prevent unauthorized access through HTTP negotiation mechanisms remain ineffective, leaving systems vulnerable to authentication bypass attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-2628 extends beyond simple access control failures, as it creates potential attack vectors for malicious actors seeking to exploit weak authentication mechanisms in enterprise environments. Systems running affected curl versions may be susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks where attackers can manipulate HTTP negotiation flows to gain unauthorized access to protected resources. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential access through spearphishing attachments and T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage, as it affects the secure handling of HTTP authentication tokens and negotiation processes that are fundamental to web-based enterprise operations.
Organizations using RHEL 6 systems with curl versions prior to 7.19.7-53 face significant risks including potential data breaches, unauthorized system access, and compromised authentication integrity. The vulnerability affects enterprise environments where curl is used extensively for automated system management tasks, web scraping operations, and secure data transfer processes. Security teams must prioritize this remediation as it represents a persistent backdoor that could allow attackers to escalate privileges or gain access to sensitive information through compromised authentication flows. The issue also demonstrates the critical importance of proper configuration management and change control processes in enterprise security, as the failure to maintain consistent build configurations across software versions creates exploitable gaps in security posture. Mitigation efforts should focus on immediate patch deployment, followed by comprehensive review of all backported security fixes to ensure proper handling of conditional compilation directives and architectural changes that may have occurred between original and backported implementations.