CVE-2018-6513 : Security Advisory and Response

CVE-2018-6513, published on June 11, 2018, involves vulnerabilities in Puppet Enterprise and Puppet Agent versions that could allow unauthorized users on Windows agents to exploit custom facts and gain escalated privileges.

Understanding CVE-2018-6513

This CVE identifies a security issue in Puppet Enterprise and Puppet Agent versions that could lead to arbitrary code execution.

What is CVE-2018-6513?

Puppet Enterprise and Puppet Agent versions prior to specified releases had a vulnerability where unauthorized users on Windows agents could exploit custom facts to gain escalated privileges during the next puppet run. The issue stemmed from loading shared libraries from untrusted paths.

The Impact of CVE-2018-6513

The vulnerability could allow unprivileged users on Windows agents to write custom facts that escalate privileges during the next puppet run, potentially leading to unauthorized access and arbitrary code execution.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-6513

This section delves into the technical aspects of the CVE.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in Puppet Enterprise and Puppet Agent versions allowed unauthorized users on Windows agents to exploit custom facts, leading to escalated privileges during subsequent puppet runs due to loading shared libraries from untrusted paths.

Affected Systems and Versions

Puppet Enterprise 2016.4.x prior to 2016.4.12
Puppet Enterprise 2017.3.x prior to 2017.3.7
Puppet Enterprise 2018.1.x prior to 2018.1.1
Puppet Agent 1.10.x prior to 1.10.13
Puppet Agent 5.3.x prior to 5.3.7
Puppet Agent 5.5.x prior to 5.5.2

Exploitation Mechanism

Unauthorized users could exploit custom facts on Windows agents to gain escalated privileges by manipulating shared libraries loaded from untrusted paths.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2018-6513 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Puppet Enterprise and Puppet Agent to the patched versions to mitigate the vulnerability.
Monitor and restrict access to shared libraries to prevent unauthorized loading.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch Puppet software to address security vulnerabilities.
Implement least privilege access controls to limit user capabilities and prevent privilege escalation.

Patching and Updates

Apply security patches and updates provided by Puppet to address CVE-2018-6513 and other potential vulnerabilities.