CVE-2023-3300 in Nomad
Summary
by MITRE • 07/20/2023
HashiCorp Nomad and Nomad Enterprise 0.11.0 up to 1.5.6 and 1.4.1 HTTP search API can reveal names of available CSI plugins to unauthenticated users or users without the plugin:read policy. Fixed in 1.6.0, 1.5.7, and 1.4.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/26/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-3300 affects HashiCorp Nomad and Nomad Enterprise versions ranging from 0.11.0 through 1.5.6 and 1.4.1, representing a critical information disclosure weakness in the HTTP search API component. This flaw allows unauthorized access to sensitive system information by exposing the names of available Container Storage Interface plugins without proper authentication or authorization checks. The vulnerability specifically impacts the search API functionality that should normally restrict access to plugin information based on user permissions and authentication status. The issue stems from insufficient access control mechanisms within the Nomad HTTP API implementation, creating a scenario where any user can query the system and retrieve plugin names that should be restricted to authorized personnel with appropriate privileges.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses information exposure, and represents a failure in access control enforcement within the Nomad platform's API layer. This weakness operates at the application layer of the system architecture, specifically targeting the HTTP search functionality that handles plugin enumeration requests. The flaw manifests when the system fails to validate user credentials or authorization policies before returning plugin name information, effectively creating a reconnaissance vector that adversaries can exploit to gather intelligence about the underlying storage infrastructure. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it provides attackers with knowledge of available storage plugins that could subsequently be targeted for further exploitation or used to craft more sophisticated attacks against the system's storage subsystem.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability significantly increases the attack surface for Nomad environments by providing attackers with detailed information about available CSI plugins without requiring authentication. The exposure of plugin names enables threat actors to identify potential attack vectors related to storage management and container orchestration. This information disclosure can facilitate subsequent attacks by allowing adversaries to focus their efforts on specific plugin implementations that may have known vulnerabilities or weaknesses. The vulnerability affects both Nomad and Nomad Enterprise deployments, meaning that organizations using either version are at risk, particularly those with complex storage configurations involving multiple CSI plugins. The impact is amplified in environments where storage security is critical, as the exposed plugin information could reveal sensitive details about the storage infrastructure and potentially enable privilege escalation attacks against storage resources.
The remediation for this vulnerability requires upgrading to HashiCorp Nomad versions 1.6.0, 1.5.7, or 1.4.1, which contain the necessary security patches to enforce proper access controls on the HTTP search API. Organizations should prioritize this upgrade as a critical security measure, particularly for production environments where unauthorized access to storage plugin information could lead to significant security implications. Security teams should also implement additional monitoring to detect unusual API access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability. The fix addresses the root cause by implementing proper authentication and authorization checks before returning plugin information, ensuring that only users with appropriate permissions can access sensitive storage plugin data. Organizations should conduct thorough testing of the upgraded versions to ensure compatibility with existing workflows while verifying that the access control mechanisms function correctly. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper access control implementation in distributed systems and highlights the need for continuous security validation of API endpoints that handle sensitive system information.