CVE-2018-25016 in Greenbone Security Assistant
Summary
by MITRE • 06/21/2021
Greenbone Security Assistant (GSA) before 7.0.3 and Greenbone OS (GOS) before 5.0.0 allow Host Header Injection.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/24/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-25016 affects Greenbone Security Assistant (GSA) versions prior to 7.0.3 and Greenbone OS (GOS) versions prior to 5.0.0, exposing systems to host header injection attacks. This security flaw resides in the web application's handling of HTTP host headers during authentication and session management processes, creating a critical vector for malicious exploitation within network security infrastructures. The vulnerability specifically impacts the authentication mechanisms that rely on host header validation, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate session cookies and bypass authentication controls. Host header injection represents a well-documented class of vulnerabilities categorized under CWE-614, which involves the improper handling of HTTP host headers in web applications, enabling attackers to manipulate the application's behavior through crafted host header values. The attack surface extends beyond simple authentication bypass to include potential session hijacking and cross-site request forgery exploitation, as the vulnerable systems fail to properly validate or sanitize host header inputs before processing them in security-sensitive contexts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the GSA and GOS web frameworks, where the applications accept and process host headers without adequate sanitization or verification against expected values. When attackers craft malicious host headers in HTTP requests, they can manipulate the application's interpretation of the target host, potentially causing the system to generate authentication cookies for unintended domains or subdomains. This weakness particularly affects session management components that construct URLs or redirect users based on host header values, creating opportunities for attackers to intercept or manipulate authenticated sessions. The vulnerability's impact is amplified in environments where these security appliances serve as central authentication points for network security operations, as successful exploitation could provide unauthorized access to critical security monitoring and management functionalities. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.002, which involves the exploitation of web application vulnerabilities to bypass authentication mechanisms, and represents a significant concern for organizations relying on Greenbone's security platform for their vulnerability management and security operations.
Organizations utilizing affected versions of GSA and GOS must implement immediate mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability. The primary and most effective remediation involves upgrading to versions 7.0.3 or later for GSA and 5.0.0 or later for GOS, as these releases contain patches that properly validate and sanitize host header inputs. Additionally, network administrators should implement defensive measures such as configuring web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious host header values, and establishing strict host header validation policies at the network perimeter. The vulnerability's operational impact extends to potential data breaches, unauthorized access to security monitoring systems, and compromised integrity of security operations within affected environments. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and implement monitoring for unusual host header patterns in web application logs. The remediation process should include thorough testing of the updated systems to ensure that the patches do not introduce compatibility issues with existing security workflows, while also verifying that proper host header validation is enforced across all authentication and session management components. Furthermore, security teams should review their incident response procedures to prepare for potential exploitation attempts and establish clear protocols for detecting and responding to host header injection attacks targeting their security infrastructure.