CVE-2021-20260 in Foreman
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2022
A flaw was found in the Foreman project. The Datacenter plugin exposes the password through the API to an authenticated local attacker with view_hosts permission. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality and integrity as well as system availability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/02/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-20260 resides within the Foreman project's Datacenter plugin, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of authentication mechanisms and data protection measures. This issue affects systems where the Foreman configuration management platform is deployed with the Datacenter plugin enabled, creating a pathway for unauthorized data exposure through the application programming interface.
The technical flaw manifests as an improper access control vulnerability that allows authenticated local attackers with minimal view_hosts permissions to extract sensitive password information through API calls. This weakness directly violates the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a failure in input validation and output sanitization within the plugin's API endpoints. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-284, which addresses inadequate access control, specifically focusing on insufficient authorization checks that permit unauthorized data disclosure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, creating significant risks to overall system integrity and availability. An attacker with view_hosts permission can exploit this flaw to gain access to password credentials stored within the system, potentially enabling further lateral movement, privilege escalation, and comprehensive system compromise. The confidentiality breach affects not only the immediate password data but also creates potential cascading effects throughout the infrastructure, as compromised credentials could be used to access additional systems and services. The integrity implications arise from the possibility of credential manipulation and the potential for attackers to alter authentication mechanisms, while availability concerns stem from the risk of credential-based denial of service attacks or unauthorized system access that could disrupt normal operations.
Organizations utilizing Foreman with the Datacenter plugin should implement immediate mitigations including restricting API access to minimal required permissions, implementing network segmentation to limit local access, and conducting thorough credential rotation for affected systems. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation and credential access techniques, specifically targeting T1078 for valid accounts and T1552 for credentials from password stores. System administrators should also consider implementing API rate limiting, enhanced monitoring of API access patterns, and regular security assessments to identify similar access control weaknesses. The vulnerability underscores the importance of comprehensive security testing, including penetration testing and code review processes that specifically target authentication and authorization mechanisms within complex enterprise systems.