CVE-2017-2639 in CloudForms
Summary
by MITRE
It was found that CloudForms does not verify that the server hostname matches the domain name in the certificate when using a custom CA and communicating with Red Hat Virtualization (RHEV) and OpenShift. This would allow an attacker to spoof RHEV or OpenShift systems and potentially harvest sensitive information from CloudForms.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/24/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-2639 represents a critical certificate validation flaw within Red Hat CloudForms management platform that undermines the security of communications with virtualization and container platforms. This issue specifically affects the verification process when CloudForms establishes connections with Red Hat Virtualization (RHEV) and OpenShift environments using custom certificate authorities. The flaw resides in the platform's inability to properly validate that the server hostname matches the domain name specified in the SSL/TLS certificates presented during communication sessions.
This technical weakness stems from improper certificate hostname verification mechanisms within the CloudForms application layer, which operates under the common weakness enumeration CWE-295. The vulnerability allows for man-in-the-middle attacks where malicious actors can present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the CloudForms system. When custom certificate authorities are configured for communication with RHEV and OpenShift, the system fails to enforce proper hostname matching between the certificate's subject alternative name fields and the actual target hostnames, creating a pathway for attackers to impersonate legitimate infrastructure components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it enables comprehensive information harvesting and potential system compromise within cloud management environments. Attackers exploiting this flaw could intercept and manipulate communication between CloudForms and backend infrastructure, potentially gaining access to sensitive operational data, system configurations, and administrative credentials. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of data flowing through the management platform, particularly when CloudForms is responsible for orchestrating and monitoring virtualized environments where security boundaries are paramount.
Organizations utilizing CloudForms in production environments face significant risk from this vulnerability, especially when managing hybrid cloud deployments that integrate RHEV and OpenShift platforms. The attack surface expands when considering that CloudForms typically serves as a central management point for complex cloud infrastructures, making it an attractive target for adversaries seeking to establish persistent access to enterprise environments. This vulnerability aligns with several tactics described in the attack framework including credential access and defense evasion techniques that leverage certificate manipulation to maintain stealth within target networks. The flaw represents a failure in the application's secure communication protocols and highlights the importance of proper certificate validation practices in enterprise management platforms.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing immediate certificate validation fixes within CloudForms configuration, ensuring that hostname verification is enforced during all external communications. Organizations should update to patched versions of CloudForms where available, and implement additional monitoring for suspicious certificate usage patterns. Network segmentation and additional authentication layers can provide defense-in-depth approaches to limit potential exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining proper certificate validation procedures as outlined in industry standards and emphasizes the need for comprehensive security testing of communication protocols in enterprise management systems.