CVE-2020-1760 in Object Gateway
Summary
by MITRE
A flaw was found in the Ceph Object Gateway, where it supports request sent by an anonymous user in Amazon S3. This flaw could lead to potential XSS attacks due to the lack of proper neutralization of untrusted input.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/09/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-1760 resides within the Ceph Object Gateway component, which serves as an S3-compatible storage interface for the Ceph distributed storage system. This flaw represents a significant security weakness that specifically affects how the gateway handles requests from anonymous users, creating an avenue for cross-site scripting attacks. The Ceph Object Gateway acts as a bridge between Ceph storage clusters and applications that use the S3 protocol, making it a critical component in cloud storage infrastructures where it must process and respond to various user requests.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the gateway's response handling mechanism. When anonymous users submit requests to the S3-compatible interface, the system fails to properly neutralize or escape untrusted input that may contain malicious script content. This improper handling occurs during the processing of user-supplied data that gets reflected back in HTTP responses without adequate sanitization. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the gateway receives and processes parameters, headers, or other input elements that could contain script code, allowing attackers to inject malicious JavaScript that executes in the context of other users' browsers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple XSS exploitation, as it represents a foundational security weakness that could enable more sophisticated attacks within environments using Ceph storage systems. Attackers could leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further exploitation of the storage environment. The risk is particularly concerning in multi-tenant environments where anonymous access is permitted, as it could allow malicious users to target other legitimate users within the same system. This vulnerability directly violates security principles outlined in CWE-79, which addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter usage.
Organizations utilizing the Ceph Object Gateway must implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability, including updating to patched versions of the Ceph software where available. The recommended approach involves ensuring that all user-supplied input undergoes proper sanitization and escaping before being processed or returned in HTTP responses. Security teams should also consider implementing additional protective measures such as Content Security Policy headers, input validation at multiple layers, and monitoring for suspicious request patterns. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation in web applications and storage interfaces, particularly when handling anonymous user requests that may not be subject to the same security controls as authenticated users. Organizations should conduct thorough assessments of their Ceph deployments to identify all instances where anonymous access is permitted and ensure appropriate security controls are in place to prevent exploitation of this and similar vulnerabilities.