CVE-2019-3869 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies

A vulnerability in Red Hat Ansible Tower could allow a malicious user to gain administrative privileges.

Understanding CVE-2019-3869

In versions older than 3.4.3 of Tower, running on OpenShift or Kubernetes, exposes application credentials to playbook job runs through environment variables.

What is CVE-2019-3869?

This CVE highlights a security flaw in Red Hat Ansible Tower that could be exploited by unauthorized users to elevate their privileges.

The Impact of CVE-2019-3869

The vulnerability poses a high risk as it allows malicious users to access sensitive application credentials and potentially gain administrative control.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-3869

Red Hat Ansible Tower is affected by this vulnerability with specific details as follows:

Vulnerability Description

Running Tower versions prior to 3.4.3 on OpenShift or Kubernetes exposes application credentials to playbook job runs, enabling unauthorized users to attain administrative privileges.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Tower
Vendor: Red Hat
Vulnerable Versions: 3.3.5, 3.4.3

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by a malicious user capable of writing playbooks, leveraging exposed environment variables to gain unauthorized administrative access.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2019-3869, consider the following steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Upgrade Tower to version 3.4.3 or newer to mitigate the vulnerability.
Monitor and restrict access to sensitive credentials and playbooks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly review and update access controls and permissions within Tower.
Implement secure coding practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Apply security patches and updates provided by Red Hat to ensure the latest fixes are in place.