CVE-2017-4955 in PCF Elastic Runtime
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Pivotal PCF Elastic Runtime 1.6.x versions prior to 1.6.65, 1.7.x versions prior to 1.7.48, 1.8.x versions prior to 1.8.28, and 1.9.x versions prior to 1.9.5. Several credentials were present in the logs for the Notifications errand in the PCF Elastic Runtime tile.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/16/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-4955 represents a critical security flaw within Pivotal PCF Elastic Runtime versions across multiple release branches. This issue specifically affects the Notifications errand component which is responsible for handling various notification mechanisms within the platform. The flaw manifests through the improper logging of sensitive credentials, creating a significant exposure risk for organizations utilizing these affected versions of the platform.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate credential handling within the logging mechanisms of the Notifications errand. When the errand executes, it inadvertently captures and writes authentication tokens, passwords, and other sensitive credentials to log files without proper sanitization or obfuscation. This behavior violates fundamental security principles of credential protection and represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege. The flaw falls under the category of improper logging of sensitive information, which aligns with CWE-532, as it exposes sensitive data through log output mechanisms. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation and output sanitization practices that are commonly exploited by attackers seeking to gain unauthorized access to systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential exposure, creating a comprehensive attack surface that could enable adversaries to escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to the platform. Attackers who obtain access to these log files could leverage the exposed credentials to compromise not only the Notifications service but potentially other interconnected components within the PCF Elastic Runtime environment. This vulnerability directly maps to the ATT&CK technique T1078.004 which focuses on valid accounts and credential access through compromised credentials. The exposure of credentials in logs creates a persistent threat vector that remains active until the affected systems are properly patched and the compromised credentials are rotated.
Organizations utilizing affected versions of Pivotal PCF Elastic Runtime should immediately implement mitigations to address this vulnerability. The primary recommended action involves upgrading to the patched versions specified in the advisory, which include PCF Elastic Runtime 1.6.65, 1.7.48, 1.8.28, and 1.9.5. Additionally, security teams should conduct thorough log reviews to identify and remove any previously exposed credentials, implementing proper log sanitization procedures to prevent future occurrences. The remediation process should include credential rotation for all services that may have been exposed through these logs, along with enhanced monitoring of log file access patterns to detect potential unauthorized access attempts. This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper credential management and logging practices in cloud platform environments, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security controls throughout the software development lifecycle.