CVE-2019-8944 in Octopus Deploy
Summary
by MITRE
An Information Exposure issue in the Terraform deployment step in Octopus Deploy before 2019.1.8 (and before 2018.10.4 LTS) allows remote authenticated users to view sensitive Terraform output variables via log files.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/11/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-8944 represents a critical information exposure flaw within the Octopus Deploy platform that affects versions prior to 2019.1.8 and 2018.10.4 LTS releases. This security weakness specifically impacts the Terraform deployment step functionality where sensitive output variables from Terraform operations are inadvertently written to log files accessible by authenticated users. The issue stems from inadequate sanitization of Terraform output data before logging, creating a pathway for unauthorized information disclosure that directly violates fundamental security principles of data protection and access control.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the Terraform deployment step processing logic where the system fails to properly filter or redact sensitive variables from the output logs. When Terraform executes deployment operations, it generates various output variables containing credentials, encryption keys, API tokens, and other confidential information. These variables are logged to the system's logging infrastructure without adequate protection mechanisms, allowing any authenticated user with sufficient privileges to access these log files and extract sensitive data. This flaw operates at the application level and demonstrates poor input validation and output sanitization practices that align with CWE-209, which specifically addresses information exposure through error messages and logging.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, creating significant risk for organizations utilizing Octopus Deploy for infrastructure automation and deployment management. Attackers with legitimate access to the deployment platform can leverage this weakness to gain unauthorized access to production credentials, database connection strings, and other sensitive configuration data that would normally be protected within Terraform output variables. This exposure can lead to cascading security incidents including unauthorized access to cloud resources, data breaches, and potential compromise of entire deployment environments. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations using Terraform for infrastructure as code deployments where sensitive variables are commonly used in automated processes, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to escalate privileges and access critical systems.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including upgrading to the patched versions of Octopus Deploy 2019.1.8 or 2018.10.4 LTS releases that address this information exposure issue. Additional protective measures include implementing strict log file access controls, configuring automated log sanitization processes, and establishing monitoring protocols to detect unauthorized access to deployment logs. Security teams should also review existing Terraform configurations to minimize the exposure of sensitive variables in output, implementing proper variable management practices and ensuring that logging mechanisms properly filter out confidential information. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following secure coding practices and maintaining up-to-date security controls as outlined in the ATT&CK framework's information gathering and credential access phases, where unauthorized access to system logs represents a fundamental attack vector for information disclosure and privilege escalation activities.