CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2022-36129NVD status: Modified

Vault: Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2022-36129 is a critical-severity missing authentication for critical functionality vulnerability in Vault from HashiCorp, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.1 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected Vault versions: 1.7.0 through 1.9.7; 1.10.0 through 1.10.4; 1.11.0. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 1.63% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 77% of scored CVEs.

Patch this week

Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.

What to do

  1. Check which version of Vault you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. Read the advisory on discuss.hashicorp.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
  3. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
HashiCorpVault1.7.0 through 1.9.7; 1.10.0 through 1.10.4; 1.11.0Not stated

Version data comes from NVD's product matching. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
NoneNo data is disclosed.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Official description

HashiCorp Vault Enterprise 1.7.0 through 1.9.7, 1.10.4, and 1.11.0 clusters using Integrated Storage expose an unauthenticated API endpoint that could be abused to override the voter status of a node within a Vault HA cluster, introducing potential for future data loss or catastrophic failure. Fixed in Vault Enterprise 1.9.8, 1.10.5, and 1.11.1.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality

The product does not perform any authentication for functionality that requires a provable user identity or consumes a significant amount of resources.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
  • Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, consider using libraries with authentication capabilities such as OpenSSL or the ESAPI Authenticator.
  • When storing data in the cloud (e.g., S3 buckets, Azure blobs, Google Cloud Storage, etc.), use the provider's controls to require strong authentication for users who should be allowed to access the data.

More Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality vulnerabilities (CWE-306)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in Vault

All Vault vulnerabilities

Recent Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality vulnerabilities

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