CVE-2018-10682 in WildFly
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in WildFly 10.1.2.Final. It is possible for an attacker to access the administration panel on TCP port 9990 without any authentication using "anonymous" access that is automatically created. Once logged in, a misconfiguration present by default (auto-deployment) permits an anonymous user to deploy a malicious .war file, leading to remote code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/23/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-10682 represents a critical security flaw in WildFly application server version 10.1.2.Final that fundamentally undermines the platform's authentication and authorization mechanisms. This issue stems from an insecure default configuration where the management interface automatically creates an anonymous user account with administrative privileges, bypassing all standard authentication procedures. The flaw exists at the core of the application server's security architecture, creating an inherent backdoor that allows unauthenticated attackers to gain full administrative control over the system. This misconfiguration violates fundamental security principles and creates a pathway for malicious actors to establish persistent access to critical infrastructure components. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the management plane of the application server, which typically requires the highest level of security controls and access restrictions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the default WildFly configuration where the management interface listens on TCP port 9990 without requiring authentication credentials. When an attacker connects to this port, they are automatically granted access with administrative privileges through the default anonymous user account. This anonymous access is not merely a simple login bypass but represents a complete failure of the authentication system, where no credential validation occurs. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, specifically focusing on situations where authentication mechanisms are disabled or bypassed. The default auto-deployment feature in WildFly further compounds the severity by allowing any user with access to the management interface to upload and deploy malicious web application archives, creating a direct path to remote code execution. This dual vulnerability creates a complete attack chain where initial access leads directly to arbitrary code execution without requiring additional exploitation techniques.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-10682 extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, creating a comprehensive security breach that can lead to complete system compromise. Once an attacker gains access through the anonymous account, they can deploy malicious web applications that execute arbitrary code on the target system, potentially leading to data exfiltration, system manipulation, or further network penetration. The auto-deployment feature removes any barriers to executing malicious code, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations running WildFly servers in production environments. This issue affects organizations that have not properly configured their security settings or updated their systems to address the default insecure configuration. The vulnerability can be exploited by any attacker with network access to the management port, making it a significant risk for systems exposed to external networks or internal threats. The impact is further amplified by the fact that this vulnerability was present in a widely used application server version, meaning many organizations were unknowingly running vulnerable systems.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability by disabling the anonymous access feature and properly configuring authentication for the management interface. The recommended approach involves modifying the WildFly configuration files to remove or disable the default anonymous user account and enforcing strong authentication mechanisms including proper user accounts with strong passwords or certificate-based authentication. Security administrators should also disable the auto-deployment feature or configure it with strict access controls to prevent unauthorized deployment of applications. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and T1105 which covers remote file copy, demonstrating how default configurations can be exploited to establish persistent access and execute malicious code. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to restrict access to the management port 9990, limiting exposure to only authorized administrative systems. The remediation process should include regular security audits to ensure that default configurations have been properly hardened and that no unauthorized accounts exist in the system. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network monitoring to detect and alert on unauthorized access attempts to management interfaces, which can help identify exploitation attempts before they succeed.