CVE-2022-4130 in Satellite
Summary
by MITRE • 12/16/2022
A blind site-to-site request forgery vulnerability was found in Satellite server. It is possible to trigger an external interaction to an attacker's server by modifying the Referer header in an HTTP request of specific resources in the server.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/14/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-4130 represents a critical blind cross-site request forgery flaw within the Red Hat Satellite server platform. This vulnerability specifically affects the server's handling of HTTP requests and demonstrates a significant security weakness in the application's input validation mechanisms. The issue manifests when the Satellite server processes requests containing modified Referer headers, creating an avenue for attackers to orchestrate external interactions that can be leveraged for various malicious purposes including data exfiltration, command execution, or further exploitation of the affected system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the Satellite server's improper validation of the Referer header field, which is commonly used by web applications to track the origin of requests. When an attacker crafts a malicious HTTP request with a manipulated Referer header pointing to an external server under their control, the Satellite server processes this request without adequate validation, potentially leading to unintended external communications. This blind CSRF vulnerability operates without direct user interaction, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited automatically by attackers who have already gained some level of access to the system or by leveraging other initial compromise vectors.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-4130 extends beyond simple data leakage, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including but not limited to remote code execution, privilege escalation, or data manipulation within the Satellite environment. The vulnerability's blind nature means that attackers cannot directly observe the results of their requests, but they can still establish command and control channels, exfiltrate sensitive data through DNS or HTTP requests, or use the external interaction as a beacon for further attacks. This makes the vulnerability particularly insidious as it can be used to establish persistent access or to perform reconnaissance without immediate detection.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the CWE-352 classification for Cross-Site Request Forgery, which encompasses various forms of unauthorized requests being made on behalf of authenticated users. Additionally, the ATT&CK framework would categorize this vulnerability under T1190 for Proxying and T1071.1 for Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols, as it involves manipulating HTTP request headers to achieve unauthorized external communications. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including strict header validation, implementing proper CSRF tokens, and monitoring for unusual Referer header patterns. The most effective long-term solution involves updating to patched versions of the Satellite server software, as well as implementing network-level controls that restrict external communications from internal servers to prevent unauthorized data exfiltration or command execution through this vector.