CVE-2024-7558 in Juju
Summary
by MITRE • 10/02/2024
JUJU_CONTEXT_ID is a predictable authentication secret. On a Juju machine (non-Kubernetes) or Juju charm container (on Kubernetes), an unprivileged user in the same network namespace can connect to an abstract domain socket and guess the JUJU_CONTEXT_ID value. This gives the unprivileged user access to the same information and tools as the Juju charm.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/27/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-7558 represents a critical security flaw in the Juju orchestration platform where the JUJU_CONTEXT_ID environment variable serves as a predictable authentication secret. This issue affects both traditional Juju machine deployments and Juju charm containers running on Kubernetes environments, creating a significant attack surface for unauthorized access. The fundamental problem lies in the predictability of this context identifier, which allows attackers to exploit the system's authentication mechanism through network-based reconnaissance and guessing attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the design flaw where Juju relies on a predictable identifier for context management within its charm execution environment. When Juju operates on non-Kubernetes machines or in Kubernetes charm containers, it creates abstract domain sockets that are accessible within the same network namespace. An unprivileged user who has network access to the same namespace can establish connections to these sockets and systematically guess the JUJU_CONTEXT_ID value. This predictability occurs because the system generates context identifiers using algorithms or patterns that can be reverse-engineered or brute-forced within reasonable timeframes, bypassing the intended security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it effectively grants unprivileged users the same level of access and privileges that should be restricted to authorized Juju processes and charm execution environments. Once an attacker successfully guesses the JUJU_CONTEXT_ID, they gain access to the same information and tools available to legitimate Juju charms, including system resources, network interfaces, and potentially sensitive data that the charm is designed to handle. This privilege escalation can lead to data breaches, system compromise, and unauthorized manipulation of deployed applications and services within the Juju environment, particularly affecting cloud infrastructure management and orchestration workflows.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-330 use of insecure random number generator, as it demonstrates the improper implementation of cryptographic randomness in generating authentication secrets. It also maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 valid accounts, where attackers leverage predictable identifiers to gain unauthorized access to system resources. Additionally, this issue relates to T1566 credential access through network-based attacks and represents a classic case of insufficient entropy in security token generation. Organizations using Juju platforms should implement immediate mitigations including the generation of cryptographically secure random identifiers, network segmentation to isolate Juju environments, and the implementation of additional authentication layers. The recommended approach involves updating Juju configurations to utilize unpredictable context identifiers and ensuring proper network namespace isolation to prevent unauthorized access to abstract domain sockets.