CVE-2018-5761 in CDM
Summary
by MITRE
A man-in-the-middle vulnerability related to vCenter access was found in Rubrik CDM 3.x and 4.x before 4.0.4-p2. This vulnerability might expose Rubrik user credentials configured to access vCenter as Rubrik clusters did not verify TLS certificates presented by vCenter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/26/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-5761 represents a critical man-in-the-middle attack vector within Rubrik Cloud Data Management (CDM) platforms version 3.x and 4.x prior to 4.0.4-p2. This weakness specifically targets the communication channel between Rubrik clusters and vCenter environments, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on these platforms for data protection and backup operations. The flaw stems from insufficient certificate validation mechanisms that allow attackers to intercept and potentially compromise sensitive authentication credentials during the vCenter access process.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the TLS certificate verification process within Rubrik's vCenter integration functionality. When Rubrik clusters establish connections to vCenter servers, they fail to properly validate the presented TLS certificates, enabling attackers positioned within the network to perform certificate spoofing attacks. This validation failure creates an opportunity for malicious actors to impersonate legitimate vCenter servers and capture user credentials that are configured for vCenter access. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.001 for credentials from password storage modules.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it fundamentally undermines the trust model between Rubrik clusters and vCenter environments. Organizations utilizing affected Rubrik versions face potential unauthorized access to their virtualized environments, data exfiltration risks, and possible escalation of privileges within their IT infrastructure. The exposure of vCenter credentials could enable attackers to perform administrative actions within virtualized environments, including snapshot management, virtual machine operations, and access to sensitive data stored within virtual machines. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprises with hybrid cloud deployments where Rubrik CDM serves as a critical component for backup and recovery operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-5761 require immediate implementation of the vendor-provided patch version 4.0.4-p2, which addresses the certificate validation flaw in Rubrik CDM. Organizations should also implement network-level security controls including intrusion detection systems and network segmentation to limit potential attack surfaces. Security teams should conduct comprehensive credential audits to identify and rotate any compromised vCenter access credentials, while implementing certificate pinning mechanisms where possible. The remediation process should include verification of certificate trust chains and implementation of proper certificate management procedures to prevent similar vulnerabilities in other network components. Additionally, organizations should review their overall security posture and consider implementing additional monitoring controls to detect potential man-in-the-middle attacks targeting their virtualization infrastructure.