CVE-2018-1070 in Routing
Summary
by MITRE
routing before version 3.10 is vulnerable to an improper input validation of the Openshift Routing configuration which can cause an entire shard to be brought down. A malicious user can use this vulnerability to cause a Denial of Service attack for other users of the router shard.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/22/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1070 affects the OpenShift routing component prior to version 3.10, representing a critical weakness in input validation mechanisms that can lead to catastrophic system failures. This flaw resides in the routing configuration processing logic where insufficient validation of user-supplied inputs allows for malformed or malicious configuration data to be processed without proper sanitization. The vulnerability specifically targets the router shard architecture that OpenShift employs to distribute routing responsibilities across multiple instances, making it particularly dangerous in multi-tenant environments where isolation between users is paramount.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a malicious user submits crafted routing configuration data that bypasses validation checks implemented within the routing component. This improper input validation creates a condition where the router shard processing engine encounters unexpected data structures or malformed configuration parameters that it cannot properly handle. The flaw manifests as a critical processing error that causes the entire router shard to become unresponsive or crash entirely, effectively taking down all routing services for that shard and impacting all legitimate users who depend on those routing services. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-20, Improper Input Validation, which is a fundamental weakness in software design that allows malformed inputs to cause system instability or crashes.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-1070 extends beyond simple service disruption to encompass broader security and availability concerns within OpenShift environments. When a router shard becomes compromised, it affects not only the immediate user who exploited the vulnerability but also all other users sharing that same routing shard, creating a cascading effect that can severely impact business operations. The vulnerability enables a denial of service attack that can be executed by any authenticated user with access to the routing configuration APIs, making it particularly dangerous in environments where user permissions are not properly restricted. This attack vector aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, Network Denial of Service, and represents a significant threat to the availability and reliability of containerized applications deployed on OpenShift platforms.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through upgrading to OpenShift version 3.10 or later, which contains the necessary input validation fixes. Additional mitigations include implementing stricter access controls and monitoring for unusual routing configuration changes, as well as establishing network segmentation to limit the potential impact of a successful exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in distributed systems where multiple users share common infrastructure components, highlighting the need for robust sanitization mechanisms that prevent malformed data from causing system-wide failures. Security teams should also consider implementing automated monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous routing configuration patterns that might indicate attempted exploitation of similar validation flaws.