CVE-2023-28016 in BigFix OSD Bare Metal Server
Summary
by MITRE • 06/23/2023
Host Header Injection vulnerability in the HCL BigFix OSD Bare Metal Server version 311.12 or lower allows attacker to supply invalid input to cause the OSD Bare Metal Server to perform a redirect to an attacker-controlled domain.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/17/2023
The CVE-2023-28016 vulnerability represents a critical host header injection flaw within the HCL BigFix OSD Bare Metal Server software version 311.12 and earlier releases. This vulnerability resides in the server's handling of HTTP host headers during redirect operations, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate the application's redirect behavior. The flaw specifically affects the authentication and session management mechanisms that rely on host header validation, allowing unauthorized redirection to attacker-controlled domains. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-601, which defines open redirect vulnerabilities where applications redirect users to untrusted domains without proper validation. This weakness enables attackers to craft malicious URLs that appear legitimate but ultimately redirect users to phishing sites or malicious endpoints.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the server's trust in HTTP host headers without proper sanitization or validation. When the OSD Bare Metal Server processes authentication requests or session redirects, it accepts the host header value directly from incoming HTTP requests without verifying its legitimacy against configured domains. Attackers can manipulate the host header to include arbitrary domains, causing the server to generate redirect URLs that point to attacker-controlled infrastructure. This behavior occurs because the application fails to implement proper input validation and sanitization for host header values, allowing malicious input to propagate through the redirect mechanism. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited through HTTP request manipulation, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users interact with the server through web interfaces.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-28016 extends beyond simple redirection attacks, creating potential for more sophisticated social engineering campaigns and credential theft operations. When users are redirected to attacker-controlled domains, they may unknowingly provide credentials or sensitive information to malicious actors. The vulnerability particularly affects authentication flows where the server generates redirect URLs based on user-provided host headers, creating opportunities for attackers to establish phishing domains that closely mimic legitimate server interfaces. This weakness can be leveraged to bypass security controls such as domain-based access controls and certificate validation mechanisms, as the redirect behavior appears to originate from a legitimate server. The attack surface is further expanded when considering that this vulnerability could be combined with other techniques to create more complex attack chains, aligning with tactics described in the ATT&CK framework under initial access and credential access phases.
Organizations utilizing HCL BigFix OSD Bare Metal Server versions 311.12 or earlier should implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability. The primary remediation involves implementing strict host header validation that ensures redirect URLs only point to pre-approved domains or explicitly configured targets. Security teams should configure the application to reject or sanitize host header values that do not match the expected server configuration, preventing unauthorized redirection. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious host header values, along with monitoring for unusual redirect patterns in server logs. The mitigation strategy should include validating all redirect destinations against a whitelist of approved domains and implementing proper input sanitization for HTTP headers. System administrators should also consider updating to patched versions of the HCL BigFix software where available, as this vulnerability represents a known weakness that has been addressed in subsequent releases. Regular security assessments should verify that host header validation is properly configured and that no bypass mechanisms exist within the application's redirect handling logic.