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GHSA-QWGC-RR35-H4X9

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2024-09-09 18:16 – Updated: 2024-09-18 18:44

Summary

External Secrets Operator vulnerable to privilege escalation

Details

The external-secrets has a deployment called default-external-secrets-cert-controller, which is bound with a same-name ClusterRole. This ClusterRole has "get/list" verbs of secrets resources(https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/blob/main/deploy/charts/external-secrets/templates/cert-controller-rbac.yaml#L49). It also has path/update verb of validatingwebhookconfigurations resources(https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/blob/main/deploy/charts/external-secrets/templates/cert-controller-rbac.yaml#L27). As a result, if a malicious user can access the worker node which has this deployment. he/she can: 1. For the "get/list secrets" permission, he/she can abuse the SA token of this deployment to retrieve or get ALL secrets in the whole cluster, including the cluster-admin secret if created. After that, he/she can abuse the cluster-admin secret to do whatever he/she likes to the whole cluster, resulting in a cluster-level privilege escalation.

For the patch/update verb of validatingwebhookconfigurations, the malicious user can abuse these permissions to get sensitive data or lanuch DoS attacks:

For the privilege escalation attack, by updating/patching a Webhook to make it listen to Secret update operations, the attacker can capture and log all data from requests attempting to update Secrets. More specifically, when a Secret is updated, this Webhook sends the request data to the logging-service, which can then log the content of the Secret. This way, an attacker could indirectly gain access to the full contents of the Secret.

For the DoS attack, by updating/patching a Webhook, and making it deny all Pod create and update requests, the attacker can prevent any new Pods from being created or existing Pods from being updated, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS) attack.

PoC

Please see the "Details" section

Impact

Privilege escalation

Severity

8.3 (High)


                  
                    CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:H

8.3 (High)


                  
                    CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

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{
  "affected": [
    {
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Go",
        "name": "github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "0.10.2"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2024-45041"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-269",
      "CWE-732"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2024-09-09T18:16:22Z",
    "nvd_published_at": "2024-09-09T15:15:11Z",
    "severity": "HIGH"
  },
  "details": "### Details\nThe external-secrets has a deployment called default-external-secrets-cert-controller, which is bound with a same-name ClusterRole. This ClusterRole has \"get/list\" verbs of secrets resources(https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/blob/main/deploy/charts/external-secrets/templates/cert-controller-rbac.yaml#L49). It also has path/update verb of validatingwebhookconfigurations resources(https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/blob/main/deploy/charts/external-secrets/templates/cert-controller-rbac.yaml#L27). As a result, if a malicious user can access the worker node which has this deployment. he/she can:\n1. For the \"get/list secrets\" permission, he/she can abuse the SA token of this deployment to retrieve or get ALL secrets in the whole cluster, including the cluster-admin secret if created. After that, he/she can abuse the cluster-admin secret to do whatever he/she likes to the whole cluster, resulting in a cluster-level privilege escalation.\n\n2. For the patch/update verb of validatingwebhookconfigurations, the malicious user can abuse these permissions to get sensitive data or lanuch DoS attacks:\n\nFor the privilege escalation attack, by updating/patching a Webhook to make it listen to Secret update operations, the attacker can capture and log all data from requests attempting to update Secrets. More specifically, when a Secret is updated, this Webhook sends the request data to the logging-service, which can then log the content of the Secret. This way, an attacker could indirectly gain access to the full contents of the Secret.\n\nFor the DoS attack, by updating/patching a Webhook, and making it deny all Pod create and update requests, the attacker can prevent any new Pods from being created or existing Pods from being updated, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS) attack.\n\n### PoC\nPlease see the \"Details\" section\n\n### Impact\nPrivilege escalation",
  "id": "GHSA-qwgc-rr35-h4x9",
  "modified": "2024-09-18T18:44:47Z",
  "published": "2024-09-09T18:16:22Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/security/advisories/GHSA-qwgc-rr35-h4x9"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-45041"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/commit/0368b9806f660fa6bc52cbbf3c6ccdb27c58bb35"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/commit/428a452fd2ad45935312f2c2c0d40bc37ce6e67c"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/blob/main/deploy/charts/external-secrets/templates/cert-controller-rbac.yaml#L27"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/blob/main/deploy/charts/external-secrets/templates/cert-controller-rbac.yaml#L49"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2024-3126"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:H",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    },
    {
      "score": "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N",
      "type": "CVSS_V4"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "External Secrets Operator vulnerable to privilege escalation"
}

CVE-2024-45041 (GCVE-0-2024-45041)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2024-09-09 14:54 – Updated: 2024-09-09 17:11

Title

External Secrets Operator vulnerable to privilege escalation

Summary

External Secrets Operator is a Kubernetes operator that integrates external secret management systems. The external-secrets has a deployment called default-external-secrets-cert-controller, which is bound with a same-name ClusterRole. This ClusterRole has "get/list" verbs of secrets resources. It also has path/update verb of validatingwebhookconfigurations resources. This can be used to abuse the SA token of the deployment to retrieve or get ALL secrets in the whole cluster, capture and log all data from requests attempting to update Secrets, or make a webhook deny all Pod create and update requests. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.10.2.

Severity

8.3 (High)


                        
                          CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:H

SSVC

Exploitation: poc Automatable: no Technical Impact: partial

CISA Coordinator · CISA-ADP (v2.0.3)

Decision recorded 2024-09-09 17:10 UTC

CWE

CWE-269 - Improper Privilege Management

Assigner

GitHub_M mitre root Scorecard

References

2 references

URL	Tags
https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secr…	x_refsource_CONFIRM
https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secr…	x_refsource_MISC

Impacted products

2 products

Vendor	Product	Version
external-secrets	external-secrets	Affected: < 0.10.2
external-secrets	external-secrets	Affected: 0 , < 0.10.2 (custom) cpe:2.3:a:external-secrets:external-secrets::::::::

Show details on NVD website

JSON

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{
  "containers": {
    "adp": [
      {
        "affected": [
          {
            "cpes": [
              "cpe:2.3:a:external-secrets:external-secrets:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*"
            ],
            "defaultStatus": "unknown",
            "product": "external-secrets",
            "vendor": "external-secrets",
            "versions": [
              {
                "lessThan": "0.10.2",
                "status": "affected",
                "version": "0",
                "versionType": "custom"
              }
            ]
          }
        ],
        "metrics": [
          {
            "other": {
              "content": {
                "id": "CVE-2024-45041",
                "options": [
                  {
                    "Exploitation": "poc"
                  },
                  {
                    "Automatable": "no"
                  },
                  {
                    "Technical Impact": "partial"
                  }
                ],
                "role": "CISA Coordinator",
                "timestamp": "2024-09-09T17:10:26.641270Z",
                "version": "2.0.3"
              },
              "type": "ssvc"
            }
          }
        ],
        "providerMetadata": {
          "dateUpdated": "2024-09-09T17:11:22.575Z",
          "orgId": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
          "shortName": "CISA-ADP"
        },
        "title": "CISA ADP Vulnrichment"
      }
    ],
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "product": "external-secrets",
          "vendor": "external-secrets",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "\u003c 0.10.2"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "External Secrets Operator is a Kubernetes operator that integrates external secret management systems. The external-secrets has a deployment called default-external-secrets-cert-controller, which is bound with a same-name ClusterRole. This ClusterRole has \"get/list\" verbs of secrets resources. It also has path/update verb of validatingwebhookconfigurations resources.  This can be used to abuse the SA token of the deployment to retrieve or get ALL secrets in the whole cluster, capture and log all data from requests attempting to update Secrets, or make a webhook deny all Pod create and update requests. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.10.2."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "attackComplexity": "LOW",
            "attackVector": "NETWORK",
            "availabilityImpact": "HIGH",
            "baseScore": 8.3,
            "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
            "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
            "integrityImpact": "LOW",
            "privilegesRequired": "LOW",
            "scope": "UNCHANGED",
            "userInteraction": "NONE",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:H",
            "version": "3.1"
          }
        }
      ],
      "problemTypes": [
        {
          "descriptions": [
            {
              "cweId": "CWE-269",
              "description": "CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management",
              "lang": "en",
              "type": "CWE"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2024-09-09T14:54:31.066Z",
        "orgId": "a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa",
        "shortName": "GitHub_M"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "name": "https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/security/advisories/GHSA-qwgc-rr35-h4x9",
          "tags": [
            "x_refsource_CONFIRM"
          ],
          "url": "https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/security/advisories/GHSA-qwgc-rr35-h4x9"
        },
        {
          "name": "https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/commit/428a452fd2ad45935312f2c2c0d40bc37ce6e67c",
          "tags": [
            "x_refsource_MISC"
          ],
          "url": "https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/commit/428a452fd2ad45935312f2c2c0d40bc37ce6e67c"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "advisory": "GHSA-qwgc-rr35-h4x9",
        "discovery": "UNKNOWN"
      },
      "title": "External Secrets Operator vulnerable to privilege escalation"
    }
  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa",
    "assignerShortName": "GitHub_M",
    "cveId": "CVE-2024-45041",
    "datePublished": "2024-09-09T14:54:31.066Z",
    "dateReserved": "2024-08-21T17:53:51.330Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2024-09-09T17:11:22.575Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.1"
}

Sightings

Author	Source	Type	Date	Other

Nomenclature

Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.

The MITRE ATT&CK techniques below are AI-generated suggestions, inferred from the description of the vulnerability by the CIRCL/vulnerability-attack-technique-classification-roberta-base model, served locally by ML-Gateway. They have not been verified by an analyst and are provided for guidance only.
The approach is described in our paper Mapping CVEs to MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: A Curated Gold-Set Classifier and the Limits of LLM-Assisted Label Expansion.
Browse all ATT&CK techniques and the vulnerabilities related to each.

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Action not permitted

GHSA-QWGC-RR35-H4X9

Details

PoC

Impact

CVE-2024-45041 (GCVE-0-2024-45041)

Tags

Sightings

Nomenclature

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