CVE-2018-11081 in Operations Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Pivotal Operations Manager, versions 2.2.x prior to 2.2.1, 2.1.x prior to 2.1.11, 2.0.x prior to 2.0.16, and 1.11.x prior to 2, fails to write the Operations Manager UAA config onto the temp RAM disk, thus exposing the configs directly onto disk. A remote user that has gained access to the Operations Manager VM, can now file search and find the UAA credentials for Operations Manager on the system disk..
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/22/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-11081 affects Pivotal Operations Manager, a platform for managing cloud infrastructure deployments. This issue stems from improper configuration handling within the Operations Manager UAA (User Account and Authentication) system, which is critical for identity management and access control. The flaw exists across multiple versions of the platform, specifically impacting releases 2.2.x before 2.2.1, 2.1.x before 2.1.11, 2.0.x before 2.0.16, and 1.11.x before version 2. The vulnerability represents a significant security weakness that directly compromises the integrity of authentication mechanisms within the platform.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper handling of UAA configuration files during the boot process of the Operations Manager virtual machine. Rather than securely writing the UAA configuration data to a temporary RAM disk as designed, the system instead persists this sensitive information directly to the system disk. This misconfiguration creates a persistent exposure of authentication credentials and configuration parameters that should remain in memory-only storage. The vulnerability is classified as a weakness in secure configuration management and falls under CWE-200, which addresses improper exposure of sensitive information, and CWE-732, which covers inadequate permissions for critical resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for organizations relying on Pivotal Operations Manager for cloud infrastructure management. A remote attacker who gains access to the Operations Manager VM can exploit this flaw by performing simple file system searches to locate and extract UAA credentials stored on the disk. This exposure effectively provides unauthorized access to the platform's authentication system, potentially enabling attackers to escalate privileges, impersonate legitimate users, or gain administrative access to the entire cloud infrastructure managed by Operations Manager. The vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1566, which involves credential harvesting through various methods including file system access, and T1078, which covers valid accounts for lateral movement and privilege escalation.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the patched versions of Operations Manager as specified in the CVE details. The recommended approach involves applying the vendor-provided security patches that correct the configuration handling mechanism to ensure UAA credentials are properly stored in temporary RAM disk locations rather than persistent storage. Additional mitigations include implementing strict access controls for Operations Manager VMs, monitoring file system access patterns, and conducting regular security assessments of the platform's configuration management processes. Network segmentation and least privilege access principles should be enforced to limit potential attack vectors and reduce the impact of any successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper configuration management and secure storage of authentication credentials in cloud infrastructure platforms.