CVE-2023-51389 in Hertzbeat
Summary
by MITRE • 02/22/2024
Hertzbeat is a real-time monitoring system. At the interface of `/define/yml`, SnakeYAML is used as a parser to parse yml content, but no security configuration is used, resulting in a YAML deserialization vulnerability. Version 1.4.1 fixes this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/17/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-51389 affects HertzBeat, a real-time monitoring system that processes YAML configuration files through its `/define/yml` endpoint. This flaw stems from the improper use of SnakeYAML, a popular Java library for parsing YAML content, which lacks appropriate security configurations during the parsing process. The absence of proper security measures in the YAML parser implementation creates a critical deserialization vulnerability that can be exploited by malicious actors to execute arbitrary code on affected systems.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the insecure deserialization of YAML content within the HertzBeat application. When the system processes YAML files through the `/define/yml` interface, it relies on SnakeYAML without implementing necessary security restrictions such as disabling the use of dangerous classes or restricting the types of objects that can be instantiated during deserialization. This configuration allows attackers to craft malicious YAML payloads that, when parsed, can trigger the execution of arbitrary code on the target system. The vulnerability specifically falls under CWE-502, which addresses deserialization of untrusted data, and represents a classic example of how insecure deserialization can lead to remote code execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-51389 is severe and potentially catastrophic for organizations using affected versions of HertzBeat. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to monitoring systems, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and disruption of critical monitoring services. Given that HertzBeat is designed for real-time monitoring, the attack surface extends beyond simple code execution to include the potential for persistent backdoors, lateral movement within networks, and compromise of other connected systems. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication, making it particularly dangerous in environments where monitoring systems are exposed to untrusted networks.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability include upgrading to HertzBeat version 1.4.1, which contains the necessary fixes to address the YAML deserialization issue. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures such as network segmentation to limit access to the monitoring system, implementing proper input validation and sanitization for all YAML content, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious YAML payloads. The fix implemented in version 1.4.1 likely includes proper configuration of SnakeYAML to disable dangerous class loading mechanisms and restrict the deserialization process to safe operations only. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure coding practices and proper library configuration in preventing deserialization attacks that can lead to complete system compromise, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1203 for legitimate credentials and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter to understand the full attack chain that this vulnerability enables.