CVE-2017-7174 in Chef Manage
Summary
by MITRE
The user-account creation feature in Chef Manage 2.1.0 through 2.4.4 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. This is fixed in 2.4.5.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/29/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-7174 represents a critical remote code execution flaw within Chef Manage versions 2.1.0 through 2.4.4, specifically targeting the user account creation functionality. This issue stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly process user-supplied data during account creation operations, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject and execute arbitrary code on the affected system. The vulnerability exists within the application's privilege escalation and authentication handling components, making it particularly dangerous as it allows attackers to gain unauthorized access to system resources and potentially escalate their privileges to administrative levels.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of user account creation parameters, where attackers can craft malicious input that bypasses normal validation checks and executes code within the context of the Chef Manage application. This flaw aligns with CWE-74, which describes improper neutralization of special elements used in data queries, and specifically relates to CWE-94, which covers inadequate control of generation of code, allowing for arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with command injection or code injection attacks, where user-provided data is directly incorporated into system commands or interpreted as executable code without proper sanitization.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-7174 extends beyond simple remote code execution, as it provides attackers with potential access to sensitive configuration data, system files, and network resources managed by Chef. This vulnerability can be leveraged to establish persistent access, escalate privileges, and potentially compromise the entire Chef infrastructure, which often serves as a central management point for enterprise systems. Organizations relying on Chef Manage for configuration management and deployment automation face significant risk of data breaches, system compromise, and unauthorized access to their infrastructure, as the vulnerability allows attackers to execute code with the privileges of the Chef Manage application itself.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate deployment of Chef Manage version 2.4.5, which contains the necessary patches to address the input validation and sanitization issues. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of Chef Manage instances, while monitoring for suspicious account creation activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The remediation process should include comprehensive security assessments of the Chef infrastructure, review of access controls, and implementation of additional monitoring mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059, which covers command and scripting interpreter, and represents a significant risk to enterprise security infrastructure that requires immediate attention and remediation to prevent unauthorized access and potential system compromise.