CVE-2024-4369 in OpenShift
Summary
by MITRE • 05/01/2024
An information disclosure flaw was found in OpenShift's internal image registry operator. The AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET can be exposed through an environment variable defined in the pod definition, but is limited to Azure environments. An attacker controlling an account that has high enough permissions to obtain pod information from the openshift-image-registry namespace could use this obtained client secret to perform actions as the registry operator's Azure service account.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/30/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical information disclosure flaw within Red Hat OpenShift's internal image registry operator, specifically affecting deployments in Azure cloud environments. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of authentication credentials within the pod configuration, where the AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET environment variable is exposed in plain text within the pod definition. This configuration allows unauthorized access to sensitive authentication material that should remain protected within the cluster's secure credential management systems. The flaw is particularly concerning because it directly impacts the security boundaries of containerized applications running in Azure-hosted OpenShift clusters, creating a potential attack vector that could escalate privileges and enable unauthorized access to cloud resources.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the improper storage and exposure of the AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET within the pod specification, which is accessible to any user or process with sufficient permissions to query pod information within the openshift-image-registry namespace. This represents a violation of the principle of least privilege and directly aligns with CWE-200, which describes improper exposure of sensitive information. The vulnerability creates a path for privilege escalation where an attacker with access to the pod metadata could extract the client secret and subsequently use it to authenticate as the registry operator's Azure service account. This authentication material would grant the attacker access to the Azure resources associated with the image registry, potentially enabling them to manipulate container images, access sensitive data, or perform other malicious activities within the Azure environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential exposure, as it fundamentally undermines the security posture of OpenShift clusters deployed in Azure environments. Attackers who gain access to the pod information could leverage this exposed secret to move laterally within the Azure infrastructure, potentially accessing other services or resources that share the same authentication context. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1528, which focuses on "Steal Application Access Token," and T1078, which covers "Valid Accounts," as the exposed credentials could be used to establish unauthorized access to Azure services. The limited scope of impact to Azure environments means that while the vulnerability is contained to specific deployment configurations, its consequences can be severe when exploited in production environments where container images contain sensitive corporate data or intellectual property.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including the removal of plaintext credentials from pod definitions and the implementation of proper secret management practices using Kubernetes secrets or Azure Key Vault integration. The recommended approach involves transitioning from environment variable-based credential injection to more secure methods such as secret volume mounts or external secret management solutions that enforce proper access controls. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and role-based access controls within the openshift-image-registry namespace can limit the scope of potential exploitation. Regular security audits should verify that no sensitive credentials are stored in plain text within pod specifications, and organizations should consider implementing automated scanning tools to detect such exposures in their container deployments. The vulnerability underscores the importance of following security best practices for cloud-native environments and demonstrates the critical need for proper credential handling in multi-tenant container orchestration platforms.