CVE-2019-10175 in virt-cdi-cloner
Summary
by MITRE
A flaw was found in the containerized-data-importer in virt-cdi-cloner, version 1.4, where the host-assisted cloning feature does not determine whether the requesting user has permission to access the Persistent Volume Claim (PVC) in the source namespace. This could allow users to clone any PVC in the cluster into their own namespace, effectively allowing access to other user's data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/09/2023
The vulnerability described in CVE-2019-10175 represents a critical authorization flaw within the containerized-data-importer component of the virt-cdi-cloner system version 1.4. This issue specifically targets the host-assisted cloning functionality that enables users to copy persistent volume claims across different namespaces within a Kubernetes cluster environment. The flaw stems from insufficient access control validation mechanisms that fail to verify whether the requesting user possesses legitimate permissions to access the target PVC in the source namespace. This oversight creates a significant security gap that undermines the fundamental principle of least privilege and namespace isolation that Kubernetes employs to protect user data and resources.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the PVC cloning mechanism where the system incorrectly assumes that users have appropriate authorization to access any PVC they request to clone. When a user initiates a cloning operation, the system should validate that the user has read access permissions to the source PVC within its originating namespace before proceeding with the cloning process. However, the current implementation bypasses this crucial authorization check, allowing any authenticated user to potentially access and clone PVCs from other namespaces. This misconfiguration directly violates the security model of Kubernetes where namespaces serve as logical isolation boundaries between different user groups or applications, and PVC access should be strictly controlled based on user permissions and role-based access controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data access violations and represents a serious threat to data confidentiality and integrity within containerized environments. An attacker or malicious user with access to the containerized-data-importer system could exploit this flaw to clone sensitive PVCs from other users or namespaces, effectively gaining unauthorized access to confidential data stored in persistent volumes. This capability enables lateral movement within the cluster and could facilitate more extensive attacks including data exfiltration, manipulation of critical application data, or the establishment of persistence mechanisms. The vulnerability particularly affects multi-tenant Kubernetes environments where multiple users or organizations share the same cluster infrastructure, making it a significant concern for cloud service providers and enterprise deployments that rely on proper resource isolation.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and represents a classic case of insufficient authorization checks in a distributed system. The flaw demonstrates how complex software components within container orchestration platforms can introduce security weaknesses that bypass fundamental access control mechanisms. Organizations implementing the affected virt-cdi-cloner version 1.4 should consider this vulnerability in their threat modeling and risk assessment processes, particularly when evaluating their multi-tenant cluster security posture. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this issue under privilege escalation and credential access tactics, as it allows users to gain access to resources they should not normally be able to access, potentially leading to further exploitation opportunities within the cluster environment.
The recommended mitigations for this vulnerability include immediate upgrade to a patched version of the containerized-data-importer that properly implements authorization checks for PVC cloning operations. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring and logging of PVC cloning activities to detect potential unauthorized access attempts. Network segmentation and pod security policies should be reviewed to limit access to the affected components, while implementing strict role-based access controls that enforce proper authorization before allowing PVC cloning operations. Regular security audits and penetration testing of container orchestration platforms should be conducted to identify similar authorization gaps in other components that might not have been properly validated against security best practices.