CVE-2018-14666 in Foreman
Summary
by MITRE
An improper authorization flaw was found in the Smart Class feature of Foreman. An attacker can use it to change configuration of any host registered in Red Hat Satellite, independent of the organization the host belongs to. This flaw affects all Red Hat Satellite 6 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/02/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-14666 represents a critical authorization bypass flaw within the Smart Class feature of Foreman, which serves as the core web application for Red Hat Satellite 6. This issue stems from inadequate access control mechanisms that fail to properly validate user permissions when processing configuration changes for registered hosts. The flaw exists in the way the system handles authorization checks for Smart Class functionality, allowing unauthorized users to manipulate host configurations regardless of their organizational affiliation or assigned permissions. The vulnerability impacts all versions of Red Hat Satellite 6, making it a widespread concern across deployed environments that rely on this configuration management platform.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves the improper validation of user credentials and organizational boundaries within the Smart Class processing pipeline. When an attacker exploits this vulnerability, they can submit crafted requests that bypass the normal authorization checks that should restrict configuration changes to only those hosts within the attacker's assigned organization. This occurs because the authorization logic fails to properly verify that the requesting user has the appropriate permissions to modify configuration settings for hosts in other organizations. The flaw essentially allows an attacker to perform unauthorized configuration changes through the Smart Class interface, which can include modifying host parameters, changing host groups, or altering other critical configuration settings that affect system behavior and security posture.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-14666 is severe and far-reaching within Red Hat Satellite 6 environments. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can potentially compromise the entire configuration management infrastructure by modifying host settings across multiple organizations without proper authorization. This capability enables attackers to disrupt services, introduce malicious configurations, or create backdoors on target systems. The flaw particularly threatens organizations that rely on Satellite 6 for managing diverse host environments, as it undermines the fundamental security principle of least privilege and organizational separation. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to cause widespread disruption, data corruption, or even facilitate further attacks by modifying system configurations to weaken security controls.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates that address the authorization bypass in the Smart Class feature. Network segmentation and access controls should be reviewed to limit exposure of the Foreman web interface to trusted networks only. Additional defensive measures include implementing strict monitoring of configuration change activities within the Satellite environment and establishing automated alerting for unauthorized modifications. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and represents a significant concern under the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and defense evasion techniques. Organizations should also conduct thorough audits of their Satellite 6 configurations to identify and remediate any potential exploitation attempts that may have occurred prior to patching.