CVE-2017-8032 in Cloud Foundry
Summary
by MITRE
In Cloud Foundry cf-release versions prior to v264; UAA release all versions of UAA v2.x.x, 3.6.x versions prior to v3.6.13, 3.9.x versions prior to v3.9.15, 3.20.x versions prior to v3.20.0, and other versions prior to v4.4.0; and UAA bosh release (uaa-release) 13.x versions prior to v13.17, 24.x versions prior to v24.12. 30.x versions prior to 30.5, and other versions prior to v41, zone administrators are allowed to escalate their privileges when mapping permissions for an external provider.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/24/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8032 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within Cloud Foundry's User Account and Authentication (UAA) system that affects multiple release versions across different component branches. This vulnerability specifically targets zone administrators who possess elevated permissions within Cloud Foundry's multi-tenant architecture, creating a pathway for unauthorized privilege elevation through improper access control mechanisms during external provider permission mapping operations. The flaw exists in the UAA service's authorization logic where zone administrators can manipulate permission mappings to gain access to resources beyond their designated administrative scope, effectively bypassing the principle of least privilege that is fundamental to secure multi-tenant cloud environments.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation and authorization checks within the UAA's permission mapping functionality. When zone administrators attempt to configure permissions for external identity providers, the system fails to properly verify whether the administrator has the necessary privileges to grant access to the specific resources being mapped. This weakness allows malicious or compromised zone administrators to escalate their privileges by creating permission mappings that grant themselves access to system-level resources or other administrative functions that should be restricted to global administrators. The vulnerability manifests as a lack of proper access control enforcement during the external provider mapping process, where the system accepts permission configurations without adequate verification of the administrator's authority level.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of Cloud Foundry deployments that rely on zone-based administrative separation. Zone administrators typically operate within isolated administrative domains to prevent cross-tenant privilege abuse, but this vulnerability allows them to break out of their designated zones and access resources that should remain protected. The implications are particularly severe in multi-tenant environments where different organizations or teams share the same Cloud Foundry instance, as a compromised zone administrator could potentially access sensitive data, manipulate system configurations, or even escalate to global administrative privileges. This vulnerability directly violates the core security principle of isolation and can lead to unauthorized data access, system compromise, and potential data breaches across multiple tenant environments.
Organizations utilizing affected Cloud Foundry versions should immediately implement mitigations including updating to patched versions of cf-release, UAA release, and uaa-release components, with specific attention to versions v264 and later for cf-release, and UAA versions v3.6.13, v3.9.15, v3.20.0, and v4.4.0 and later. The recommended approach involves applying the security patches provided by Pivotal and Cloud Foundry Foundation, which include enhanced authorization checks and proper validation of permission mappings during external provider configuration. System administrators should also review existing zone administrator permissions and implement stricter access controls, ensuring that privilege escalation paths are properly closed. Additionally, monitoring and logging mechanisms should be enhanced to detect suspicious permission mapping activities, and security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of administrative access controls. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation through unauthorized access to system resources. The remediation process requires careful coordination between platform administrators and security teams to ensure that all affected components are properly updated while maintaining service availability and minimizing disruption to existing deployments.