CVE-2018-16879 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies
Learn about CVE-2018-16879 affecting Ansible Tower before version 3.3.3. Discover the impact, affected systems, exploitation risks, and mitigation steps to secure your environment.
Ansible Tower before version 3.3.3 is susceptible to security vulnerabilities due to insecure default configuration settings when communicating with messaging celery workers through RabbitMQ.
Understanding CVE-2018-16879
Ansible Tower's lack of secure channel establishment can lead to potential exposure of sensitive information and denial of service attacks.
What is CVE-2018-16879?
Prior to version 3.3.3, Ansible Tower does not establish a secure channel by default when communicating with messaging celery workers through RabbitMQ. This lack of secure configuration settings can potentially result in the exposure of sensitive information, such as passwords, and also leave the system vulnerable to denial of service attacks.
The Impact of CVE-2018-16879
- CVSS Score: 7.3 (High)
- Attack Vector: Adjacent Network
- Attack Complexity: Low
- Privileges Required: Low
- Confidentiality Impact: None
- Integrity Impact: High
- Availability Impact: High
Technical Details of CVE-2018-16879
Ansible Tower's vulnerability details and affected systems.
Vulnerability Description
Ansible Tower before version 3.3.3 does not establish a secure channel, potentially leading to data leaks and denial of service attacks.
Affected Systems and Versions
- Product: Tower
- Vendor: [UNKNOWN]
- Version: 3.3.3
Exploitation Mechanism
The lack of secure configuration settings in Ansible Tower can be exploited to expose sensitive information and launch denial of service attacks.
Mitigation and Prevention
Steps to mitigate and prevent exploitation of CVE-2018-16879.
Immediate Steps to Take
- Upgrade Ansible Tower to version 3.3.3 or later.
- Implement secure communication channels.
- Monitor and restrict access to sensitive information.
Long-Term Security Practices
- Regularly update and patch Ansible Tower.
- Conduct security audits and assessments.
- Train staff on secure configuration practices.
Patching and Updates
Apply patches and updates provided by the vendor to address the security vulnerabilities.