CVE-2018-1073 in ovirt-engine
Summary
by MITRE
The web console login form in ovirt-engine before version 4.2.3 returned different errors for non-existent users and invalid passwords, allowing an attacker to discover the names of valid user accounts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/28/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1073 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within the oVirt engine web console authentication system. This issue affects versions prior to 4.2.3 and stems from the inconsistent error handling mechanism employed during the login process. The flaw enables attackers to perform user enumeration attacks by observing different error responses for non-existent accounts versus invalid password attempts, thereby compromising the security of the authentication system.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the application's failure to implement consistent error messaging for authentication failures. When a user attempts to log in with a non-existent account, the system returns one error message, while an invalid password for an existing account generates a different response. This differential handling violates fundamental security principles and creates an information leak that directly exposes the existence of valid user accounts within the system. The vulnerability maps to CWE-200, which specifically addresses "Information Exposure," and demonstrates poor error handling practices that inadvertently reveal sensitive system information.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability significantly weakens the security posture of oVirt engine deployments by enabling automated user enumeration attacks. Attackers can systematically test usernames against the login form, identifying valid accounts through the different error responses. This information can then be leveraged for subsequent attack phases including brute force password guessing, credential stuffing attacks, or social engineering campaigns. The vulnerability essentially provides attackers with a reconnaissance tool that bypasses traditional security controls, making it particularly dangerous in environments where user account management is critical.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure as it directly enables privilege escalation and access control bypass scenarios. Once valid usernames are discovered, attackers can focus their efforts on cracking passwords for legitimate accounts rather than randomly guessing credentials. This increases the effectiveness of password-based attacks and reduces the time required to gain unauthorized access to the system. The vulnerability also violates several principles outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly in the credential access and reconnaissance phases, where adversaries seek to identify valid accounts and credentials within target systems.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately upgrade to oVirt engine version 4.2.3 or later, which implements consistent error messaging for authentication failures. Additionally, system administrators should review and harden their authentication configurations, implement account lockout mechanisms, and deploy multi-factor authentication to mitigate the risk of successful exploitation. Network-level protections including intrusion detection systems and rate limiting for authentication requests should also be considered. The remediation approach should align with security best practices for preventing information disclosure vulnerabilities and maintaining the confidentiality of user account information within authentication systems.