CVE-2018-10865 in redhat-certification
Summary
by MITRE • 05/26/2021
It has been discovered that redhat-certification does not perform an authorization check and allows an unauthenticated user to call a "restart" RPC method on any host accessible by the system. An attacker could use this flaw to send requests to port 8009 of any host or to keep restarting the RHCertD daemon on a host of another customer. This flaw affects redhat-certification version 7.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/29/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-10865 represents a critical authorization flaw within the redhat-certification system version 7, specifically affecting the Remote Host Certification Daemon RHCertD service. This weakness stems from the absence of proper authentication and authorization controls when processing Remote Procedure Call (RPC) requests, creating an avenue for unauthorized access to system management functions. The vulnerability manifests through the exposure of a restart RPC method that should require authenticated access but instead accepts requests from any unauthenticated user, fundamentally undermining the security posture of the certification infrastructure.
The technical implementation of this flaw allows attackers to exploit the lack of proper access controls by directly calling the restart RPC method on any host that the redhat-certification system can reach through its network connectivity. This vulnerability operates at the network level, specifically targeting port 8009 which serves as the communication endpoint for the RHCertD daemon, enabling attackers to send malicious requests without requiring valid credentials or authentication tokens. The flaw essentially provides a backdoor mechanism for remote manipulation of system services, as the system fails to validate the identity or authorization status of users attempting to invoke administrative functions.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for multi-tenant environments where multiple customers share the same certification infrastructure. An attacker could potentially disrupt services by repeatedly restarting the RHCertD daemon on other customers' hosts, leading to service availability issues and potential denial of service conditions. The ability to send requests to port 8009 of any accessible host expands the attack surface beyond the immediate system, allowing for broader network reconnaissance and exploitation activities. This flaw directly violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and mandatory access controls, as it permits arbitrary system manipulation without proper authorization verification.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1072 for software deployment, where adversaries establish persistent access through legitimate system tools. Organizations using redhat-certification version 7 face substantial risk of service disruption, potential data integrity compromise, and unauthorized system manipulation. The flaw essentially creates a privilege escalation vector that allows unauthenticated attackers to perform administrative functions, undermining the core security model of the certification system. Remediation requires immediate implementation of proper authentication mechanisms for RPC endpoints, enforcement of access control policies, and network segmentation to limit the exposure of critical system services. System administrators should also consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized RPC method calls and establish proper audit trails for all system management activities to maintain security compliance and operational integrity.