CVE-2018-10884 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies

CVE-2018-10884 was published on August 22, 2018, affecting Ansible Tower versions 3.1.8 and 3.2.6. The vulnerability exposes systems to cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks, potentially leading to unauthorized access.

Understanding CVE-2018-10884

This CVE pertains to a security flaw in Ansible Tower versions 3.1.8 and 3.2.6 that could be exploited by attackers to perform CSRF attacks.

What is CVE-2018-10884?

CVE-2018-10884 is a vulnerability in the file awx/api/authentication.py in Ansible Tower versions 3.1.8 and 3.2.6. It allows attackers to execute CSRF attacks by manipulating authenticated users into visiting malicious websites.

The Impact of CVE-2018-10884

The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.0 base score of 8.8 (High severity) with a high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Attackers can potentially gain control over the authtoken cookie, leading to unauthorized access.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-10884

This section provides detailed technical information about the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in Ansible Tower versions 3.1.8 and 3.2.6 allows for CSRF attacks through the authentication.py file, enabling attackers to hijack the authtoken cookie.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Ansible Tower
Vendor: Red Hat
Vulnerable Versions: 3.1.8, 3.2.6

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by tricking authenticated users into visiting a malicious website, leading to the compromise of the authtoken cookie.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2018-10884 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Ansible Tower to versions 3.1.8 or 3.2.6 to mitigate the vulnerability.
Educate users about the risks of visiting untrusted websites.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement CSRF protection mechanisms in web applications.
Regularly monitor and audit authentication mechanisms for vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Apply security patches provided by Red Hat for Ansible Tower to address the CSRF vulnerability.