CVE-2021-28508 in EOS
Summary
by MITRE • 05/27/2022
This advisory documents the impact of an internally found vulnerability in Arista EOS state streaming telemetry agent TerminAttr and OpenConfig transport protocols. The impact of this vulnerability is that, in certain conditions, TerminAttr might leak IPsec sensitive data in clear text in CVP to other authorized users, which could cause IPsec traffic to be decrypted or modified by other authorized users on the device.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/01/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-28508 affects Arista EOS state streaming telemetry agent TerminAttr and its implementation of OpenConfig transport protocols. This issue represents a critical confidentiality and integrity breach within network device management systems where sensitive cryptographic information is improperly exposed during normal operational procedures. The vulnerability manifests when TerminAttr processes IPsec-related data within the Cloud Vision Portal environment, creating an unintended pathway for sensitive information to be accessible to authorized users who should not have such privileges.
The technical flaw stems from improper handling of IPsec sensitive data within the TerminAttr agent's processing pipeline. When the system operates under specific conditions, it fails to maintain proper encryption boundaries for IPsec configuration parameters, causing clear text versions of sensitive data to be transmitted or stored in a manner accessible to other authorized users within the Cloud Vision Portal framework. This represents a failure in data protection mechanisms and violates fundamental security principles of information flow control and access isolation. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-312 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information) and CWE-313 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in a File or Database) categories, demonstrating inadequate protection of cryptographic parameters during system operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure to encompass potential man-in-the-middle attacks and unauthorized modification of network security configurations. Authorized users who should only have read-only access to telemetry data could potentially intercept and manipulate IPsec traffic parameters, leading to complete compromise of network security policies. This creates a scenario where legitimate administrative users might inadvertently become vectors for security breaches, as they gain access to information that should remain protected. The vulnerability particularly affects environments where Cloud Vision Portal serves as the primary management interface for Arista network devices, potentially compromising the security posture of entire network infrastructures.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-28508 should focus on immediate patch application from Arista, which addresses the root cause in TerminAttr's data handling procedures. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to Cloud Vision Portal environments and establish strict role-based access controls that prevent unauthorized users from accessing sensitive telemetry data. Additionally, implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect unusual data access patterns or clear text transmission within IPsec contexts provides defensive depth. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure coding practices in network management systems and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of telemetry and management protocols. Organizations should also consider implementing additional cryptographic protections for sensitive data in transit and at rest, aligning with NIST SP 800-57 guidelines for cryptographic key management and secure communication protocols.