CVE-2019-14852 in 3scale API Management Platform
Summary
by MITRE • 03/19/2021
A flaw was found in 3scale’s APIcast gateway that enabled the TLS 1.0 protocol. An attacker could target traffic using this weaker protocol and break its encryption, gaining access to unauthorized information. Version shipped in Red Hat 3scale API Management Platform is vulnerable to this issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/02/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-14852 represents a critical security weakness in the 3scale APIcast gateway implementation that directly impacts the platform's cryptographic security posture. This flaw specifically enables the acceptance and utilization of TLS 1.0 protocol versions within the API management infrastructure, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise sensitive data transmissions. The vulnerability exists in the Red Hat 3scale API Management Platform, which is widely deployed across enterprise environments for API gateway services, making this issue particularly concerning for organizations relying on the platform for their API security requirements.
The technical implementation flaw stems from the APIcast gateway's configuration allowing TLS 1.0 protocol negotiation, despite TLS 1.0 being deprecated since 2011 due to its inherent cryptographic weaknesses and known vulnerabilities. This protocol version suffers from several documented security issues including POODLE attack vulnerabilities, weak cipher suites, and insufficient cryptographic strength that makes it susceptible to various man-in-the-middle and decryption attacks. The vulnerability manifests when the gateway accepts client connections that attempt to negotiate TLS 1.0, creating opportunities for attackers to downgrade encryption protocols and potentially intercept or manipulate API traffic containing sensitive information such as authentication tokens, user data, and business-critical API responses.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple protocol support issues, as it fundamentally undermines the security assurances that organizations expect from their API management platforms. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform protocol downgrade attacks, forcing connections to use TLS 1.0 instead of more secure versions like TLS 1.2 or TLS 1.3, thereby weakening the encryption protection for all API communications passing through the vulnerable gateway. This creates opportunities for unauthorized access to protected API resources, potential data breaches, and violation of compliance requirements that mandate the use of strong cryptographic protocols. Organizations using the affected Red Hat 3scale platform may experience significant security exposure in environments where API traffic contains sensitive information, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for financial services, healthcare, and government sectors.
Security mitigations for CVE-2019-14852 should focus on immediate protocol configuration changes within the 3scale APIcast gateway to disable TLS 1.0 support entirely while enabling stronger protocol versions. The recommended approach involves updating the gateway configuration files to explicitly disable TLS 1.0 and enforce the use of TLS 1.2 or higher protocol versions for all client connections. Organizations should also implement network-level controls to prevent TLS 1.0 connections from being established and conduct thorough security assessments to identify any existing connections that may still be utilizing the deprecated protocol. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-327 which specifically addresses the use of weak cryptographic algorithms and protocols, and represents a clear violation of NIST SP 800-52 guidelines that recommend the deprecation of TLS 1.0 in favor of more secure protocol versions. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1071.004 for Application Layer Protocol: DNS and T1566 for Phishing, as attackers can leverage the weakened encryption to intercept API communications and potentially escalate privileges through stolen authentication tokens or session information.