CVE-2024-23332 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

This CVE involves a vulnerability in the Notary Project related to client configurations with permissive trust policies being susceptible to a rollback attack. The vulnerability has a CVSS base score of 4, categorizing it as medium severity.

Understanding CVE-2024-23332

This CVE relates to how the Notary Project, a set of specifications and tools for securing software supply chains, can be exploited by external actors to provide outdated versions of container images, potentially leading to exploitation of consumers with relaxed trust policies.

What is CVE-2024-23332?

The vulnerability allows an attacker with control of a compromised container registry to supply outdated versions of OCI artifacts to consumers with permissive trust policies. This can result in the use of artifacts with invalid signatures, making consumers vulnerable to potential exploits within those artifacts.

The Impact of CVE-2024-23332

With this vulnerability, attackers can manipulate outdated artifacts in a compromising registry, exploiting consumers with permissive trust policies. This could lead to the execution of malicious code or other cyber threats due to the consumption of artifacts with invalid signatures.

Technical Details of CVE-2024-23332

This section provides insights into the vulnerability description, affected systems and versions, as well as the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from control of compromised container registries to serve outdated OCI artifacts to consumers with relaxed trust policies. This action can expose consumers to artifacts with invalid signatures, potentially leading to exploit scenarios.

Affected Systems and Versions

The Notary Project version <= 1.0.1 is affected by this vulnerability. Systems utilizing this specific version are at risk of exploitation if permissive trust policies are in place, allowing the use of artifacts with invalid signatures.

Exploitation Mechanism

External actors can control compromised container registries to supply outdated OCI artifacts with invalid signatures to consumers with permissive trust policies. This manipulation can lead to exploitation of consumers relying on these artifacts for deployment.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2024-23332, immediate actions, as well as long-term security practices, are crucial to mitigate the risks associated with the vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Artifact consumers should update to the latest version of the Notary Project to prevent exploitation through outdated OCI artifacts. Additionally, enforcing strict trust policies that validate signature expiration can help mitigate the rollback attack risk.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implementing rigorous artifact validation processes, such as periodic re-signing of artifacts and utilizing short-lived certificates, can enhance security measures within the supply chain. This practice ensures that consumers only receive up-to-date artifacts, reducing the vulnerability to rollback attacks.

Patching and Updates

Regularly applying software updates and patches provided by the Notary Project can address known vulnerabilities and enhance the security posture of systems utilizing the specifications. Staying informed about security advisories and best practices is essential for maintaining a secure software supply chain.