CVE-2019-7615 : What You Need to Know

A vulnerability related to the validation of TLS certificates has been discovered in versions prior to 2.9.0 of the Elastic APM agent for Ruby. This flaw could potentially lead to a man-in-the-middle attack against the Ruby agent.

Understanding CVE-2019-7615

This CVE identifies a specific vulnerability in the Elastic APM agent for Ruby.

What is CVE-2019-7615?

CVE-2019-7615 is a TLS certificate validation flaw found in versions before 2.9.0 of the Elastic APM agent for Ruby. It arises when configuring the 'server_ca_cert' setting with a trusted server CA certificate, leading to inadequate verification of the certificate received from the APM server.

The Impact of CVE-2019-7615

The vulnerability could allow malicious actors to execute man-in-the-middle attacks against the Ruby agent, potentially compromising the integrity and confidentiality of data transmitted.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-7615

This section delves into the technical aspects of the CVE.

Vulnerability Description

The flaw in Elastic APM agent for Ruby versions prior to 2.9.0 lies in the improper validation of TLS certificates, specifically when handling the 'server_ca_cert' setting.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Elastic APM agent for Ruby
Vendor: Elastic
Versions Affected: Before 2.9.0

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by configuring the 'server_ca_cert' setting with a malicious server CA certificate, enabling attackers to intercept and manipulate communication between the Ruby agent and the APM server.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protective measures to address CVE-2019-7615.

Immediate Steps to Take

Upgrade the Elastic APM agent for Ruby to version 2.9.0 or later to mitigate the vulnerability.
Review and validate TLS certificate configurations to ensure proper verification.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement secure communication protocols and encryption standards to enhance data integrity.
Regularly monitor and audit TLS certificate usage and configurations to detect anomalies.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security advisories and updates from Elastic to promptly apply patches addressing vulnerabilities.