CVE-2023-4886 in Foreman
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
A sensitive information exposure vulnerability was found in foreman. Contents of tomcat's server.xml file, which contain passwords to candlepin's keystore and truststore, were found to be world readable.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/25/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-4886 represents a critical sensitive information exposure flaw within the Foreman management platform that directly impacts the security posture of organizations relying on this system for infrastructure management. This vulnerability stems from improper file permissions that allow unauthorized users to access critical configuration files containing authentication credentials. The specific file affected is tomcat's server.xml which serves as the primary configuration file for the Apache Tomcat application server component within the Foreman environment. This particular file contains sensitive cryptographic material including passwords required to access candlepin's keystore and truststore components, which are essential for secure communication and certificate management within the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental failure in access control mechanisms and file permission management within the Foreman deployment. When the server.xml file is configured with world-readable permissions, any user account on the system can access its contents without authentication. This exposure creates a direct pathway for attackers to obtain cryptographic keys and passwords necessary for impersonating legitimate system components. The candlepin keystore and truststore passwords contained within this file enable unauthorized parties to decrypt sensitive communications, potentially allowing for man-in-the-middle attacks, certificate forgery, or complete compromise of the certificate-based authentication system. This flaw aligns with CWE-200, which specifically addresses information exposure vulnerabilities where sensitive data is accessible to unauthorized actors due to improper access controls.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-4886 extends far beyond simple credential exposure, as it fundamentally undermines the security foundation of the entire Foreman environment. Organizations using Foreman for system management and provisioning face significant risk of unauthorized access to their infrastructure management capabilities, potentially allowing attackers to gain elevated privileges, modify system configurations, or access sensitive data processed through the management platform. The exposure of keystore and truststore passwords particularly threatens the integrity of secure communications between Foreman components and other systems in the infrastructure ecosystem. Attackers could leverage this information to establish persistent access, perform credential stuffing attacks against other systems, or conduct advanced persistent threat operations that exploit the trust relationships established through certificate-based authentication. This vulnerability also creates opportunities for lateral movement within networks where Foreman serves as a central management point, as the compromised credentials could be used to access other systems that trust the same certificate authorities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-4886 must address both immediate remediation and long-term security posture improvements. The primary immediate action involves correcting file permissions on the tomcat server.xml file to ensure it is only accessible by the appropriate system users and processes. This requires implementing proper discretionary access controls where the file is owned by the tomcat user and group with restrictive permissions such as 600 or 640, preventing world-read access while maintaining necessary functionality. Organizations should also implement regular security audits and automated compliance checking to prevent similar issues from recurring in other configuration files or system components. The remediation process should include validating that the certificate-based authentication system remains functional after permission changes and ensuring that legitimate system operations are not disrupted. Additionally, implementing principle of least privilege access controls, regular security configuration reviews, and monitoring for unauthorized file access attempts will help prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other system components. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper access control implementation and the potential consequences of configuration errors in security-sensitive applications.