CVE-2018-1248 in RSA Authentication Manager
Summary
by MITRE
RSA Authentication Manager Security Console, Operation Console and Self-Service Console, version 8.3 and earlier, is affected by a Host header injection vulnerability. This could allow a remote attacker to potentially poison HTTP cache and subsequently redirect users to arbitrary web domains.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/08/2023
The RSA Authentication Manager platform presents a critical host header injection vulnerability that affects multiple console components including the Security Console, Operation Console, and Self-Service Console versions 8.3 and earlier. This vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of host headers in HTTP requests, allowing malicious actors to manipulate the host header field during web application communication. The flaw exists in the authentication and session management infrastructure of RSA's identity management solution, which is widely deployed in enterprise environments for multi-factor authentication and access control.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious HTTP request containing a forged host header value. This manipulation can lead to HTTP cache poisoning attacks where the malicious host header gets cached by intermediate proxies or load balancers, subsequently redirecting legitimate users to attacker-controlled domains. The vulnerability specifically impacts the web application's ability to properly validate and sanitize host header inputs, creating a pathway for man-in-the-middle attacks and session hijacking. This issue falls under CWE-614, which classifies host header injection as a security weakness in web applications that rely on host headers for determining application behavior.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple redirection attacks as it compromises the integrity of the authentication process and potentially enables more sophisticated attacks. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to perform session fixation, cache poisoning, or even execute cross-site scripting attacks by redirecting users to malicious domains that appear legitimate. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that RSA Authentication Manager is deployed in high-security environments where unauthorized access could result in complete compromise of authentication infrastructure. Organizations using affected versions face potential unauthorized access to privileged accounts and could experience data breaches through session manipulation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of RSA Authentication Manager to versions that address the host header injection flaw. Organizations should implement host header validation mechanisms at the application level and deploy web application firewalls to filter malicious host header values. Network-level protections including strict host header validation at load balancers and reverse proxies can provide additional defense-in-depth. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering attacks through manipulation of web application behavior. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive network scanning to identify affected systems and implement monitoring for suspicious host header values in web application logs. Additionally, implementing proper HTTP headers including Content Security Policy and Strict Transport Security can help reduce the impact of such vulnerabilities in the broader attack surface.