CVE-2019-3894 in WildFly
Summary
by MITRE
It was discovered that the ElytronManagedThread in Wildfly's Elytron subsystem in versions from 11 to 16 stores a SecurityIdentity to run the thread as. These threads do not necessarily terminate if the keep alive time has not expired. This could allow a shared thread to use the wrong security identity when executing.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/12/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-3894 resides within the Elytron subsystem of Red Hat WildFly application server, specifically affecting versions 11 through 16. This security flaw manifests in the ElytronManagedThread implementation which is responsible for managing security contexts within the application server's threading model. The underlying issue stems from how the system handles thread lifecycle management and security identity preservation, creating a scenario where thread re-use can occur without proper security context cleanup.
The technical flaw involves the improper handling of SecurityIdentity objects within managed threads that are designed to maintain a specific security context for execution. When threads are kept alive beyond their initial execution period, the system fails to properly invalidate or reset the stored SecurityIdentity, leading to a potential security context leak. This behavior violates fundamental security principles where each thread execution should operate under the appropriate security credentials for that specific operation rather than inheriting potentially stale security contexts from previous executions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple thread management issues to create serious security implications within enterprise applications. Attackers who can influence thread lifecycle behavior or manipulate the timing of thread re-use could potentially execute code under incorrect security identities, potentially escalating privileges or gaining access to resources that should be restricted to specific user contexts. This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-284 Access Control Issues and CWE-362 Concurrency Issues, as it combines improper access control with thread safety problems. The threat is particularly concerning in multi-tenant environments or applications where different users or roles require distinct security contexts, as the system could inadvertently provide unauthorized access to sensitive operations.
This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 Valid Accounts, as it could enable attackers to leverage legitimate security contexts that persist across thread executions. The improper thread management creates opportunities for privilege escalation attacks where an attacker might manipulate the thread pool to execute operations under elevated or inappropriate security identities. Organizations running affected WildFly versions should prioritize patching to address the core thread lifecycle management issue, while also implementing monitoring for unusual thread behavior patterns that might indicate security context contamination. The mitigation strategy should include immediate application of vendor patches, implementation of proper thread context cleanup procedures, and enhanced security monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts.