CVE-2019-3867 in Quay
Summary
by MITRE • 03/19/2021
A vulnerability was found in the Quay web application. Sessions in the Quay web application never expire. An attacker, able to gain access to a session, could use it to control or delete a user's container repository. Red Hat Quay 2 and 3 are vulnerable to this issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/02/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-3867 represents a critical session management flaw in the Red Hat Quay container registry application. This issue stems from the application's failure to implement proper session expiration mechanisms, creating a persistent security weakness that can be exploited by malicious actors. The vulnerability affects both Quay versions 2 and 3, indicating it was present across multiple iterations of the platform and likely persisted due to fundamental architectural decisions in session handling. The root cause of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-613, which specifically addresses insufficient session expiration, making it a well-documented weakness in web application security. The flaw allows attackers who can obtain valid session tokens to maintain prolonged access to user repositories without the need for repeated authentication attempts, fundamentally undermining the application's access control mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, as it provides attackers with complete control over user container repositories. Once an attacker gains access to a valid session, they can perform any action available to the authenticated user, including pushing new images, deleting existing repositories, modifying access controls, and potentially exfiltrating sensitive container artifacts. This persistent access capability makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous because it can remain undetected for extended periods, allowing attackers to conduct reconnaissance, establish persistence, and carry out more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability directly violates security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten 2017, specifically addressing the weakness of Insecure Design, where security controls are either absent or insufficient to protect against known attack vectors. The implications are severe for organizations relying on Quay for container image management, as compromised sessions can lead to complete repository compromise and potential supply chain attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-3867 require immediate implementation of proper session expiration policies and enhanced monitoring capabilities. Organizations should configure session timeouts to align with security best practices, typically implementing short-lived sessions with automatic invalidation after periods of inactivity. The solution involves modifying the application's session management configuration to enforce reasonable expiration intervals, potentially using mechanisms such as sliding timeouts or absolute session limits. Security teams must also implement comprehensive session monitoring to detect anomalous access patterns and establish automated alerts for suspicious session usage. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing multi-factor authentication for privileged access and regular session auditing to identify and terminate unauthorized access. The remediation process should include thorough testing of session expiration mechanisms and validation that all session tokens are properly invalidated upon user logout or after configured time intervals. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper session management as outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the credential access tactics, where maintaining persistent access to systems is a primary objective for adversaries.