CVE-2017-7661 in CXF Fediz
Summary
by MITRE
Apache CXF Fediz ships with a number of container-specific plugins to enable WS-Federation for applications. A CSRF (Cross Style Request Forgery) style vulnerability has been found in the Spring 2, Spring 3, Jetty 8 and Jetty 9 plugins in Apache CXF Fediz prior to 1.4.0, 1.3.2 and 1.2.4.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/24/2020
The Apache CXF Fediz project provides WS-Federation support for web applications across multiple container environments including Spring 2, Spring 3, Jetty 8, and Jetty 9. This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in the authentication and authorization mechanisms implemented within these container-specific plugins. The issue manifests as a Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability that allows attackers to manipulate authentication flows without proper authorization. The vulnerability affects versions prior to 1.4.0 for Spring 2 and Spring 3 plugins, and prior to 1.2.4 for Jetty 8 and Jetty 9 plugins, indicating a widespread impact across multiple application server environments.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper CSRF token implementation within the WS-Federation authentication flows. When users authenticate through these plugins, the system fails to verify that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same application context. This weakness enables attackers to craft malicious requests that can be executed in the context of authenticated users, potentially leading to unauthorized access or session hijacking. The vulnerability specifically impacts the federated authentication process where third-party identity providers are integrated with web applications. The flaw allows attackers to exploit the trust relationship between the application and the identity provider, bypassing normal authentication controls that should prevent unauthorized access attempts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it can enable attackers to manipulate authentication flows and potentially gain elevated privileges within federated environments. Organizations using Apache CXF Fediz in production environments face significant risk of unauthorized access to protected resources, especially when applications rely on WS-Federation for single sign-on capabilities. The vulnerability affects the integrity of the authentication process, potentially allowing attackers to forge authentication requests that appear legitimate to the identity provider. This creates a dangerous scenario where attackers can exploit the trust relationship between applications and identity providers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data and services. The impact is particularly severe in enterprise environments where WS-Federation is commonly used for cross-domain authentication and authorization.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to the patched versions of Apache CXF Fediz to remediate this vulnerability. The recommended mitigation involves updating to version 1.4.0 or later for Spring 2 and Spring 3 plugins, and version 1.2.4 or later for Jetty 8 and Jetty 9 plugins. Additionally, security teams should implement proper input validation and CSRF token mechanisms within their applications that utilize these plugins. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and credential access, as attackers can leverage the forged authentication requests to gain unauthorized access to protected resources. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of their federated authentication environments to identify potential exploitation vectors and ensure proper implementation of security controls.