In this post, we will explore a security vulnerability discovered in the popular Java application server Wildfly-Core, specifically identified as CVE-2023-4061. We will provide an overview of the vulnerability, examine its impact, and discuss potential methods of exploitation. Additionally, we will provide a code snippet illustrating the vulnerability, links to original references, and other important details regarding this security issue.

Background

Wildfly, formerly known as JBoss AS, is an open-source Java application server mainly used for implementing Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) specifications. The Wildfly-Core is a package of the Wildfly application server that provides essential management capabilities to create monitoring and performance-tuning applications. The management interface in Wildfly is the HAL Interface (HTTP and JSON-based).

The Vulnerability: CVE-2023-4061

A flaw was discovered in the Wildfly-Core that pertains to the use of the "resolve-expression" operation in the HAL Interface. This vulnerability allows a management user to potentially access sensitive information from the Wildfly system by utilizing the resolve-expression operation.

To better understand the issue, take a look at the following code snippet which represents a vulnerable usage of the resolve-expression operation:

{
  "operation": "resolve-expression",
  "address": [],
  "resolve-expression": {"expression": "${sensitive.property}"}
}

The resolve-expression operation can be used by a management user to resolve a system property or an environment variable. In the case of the vulnerable code snippet, the operation attempts to resolve the '${sensitive.property}' expression, which could potentially contain sensitive information.

Impact and Exploit Details

The impact of the CVE-2023-4061 vulnerability is significant, as a malicious user with access to the management interface can leverage the resolve-expression operation to read sensitive data from the system environment variables and system properties. This could potentially lead to unauthorized access to the system and the exposure of critical data.

To exploit this vulnerability, a malicious user would need access to the Wildfly management interface and knowledge of the names of the potential sensitive properties or environment variables. With this information, the attacker could create a JSON request containing the "resolve-expression" operation, like the code snippet mentioned previously, to obtain the value of the sensitive property.

Original References

The CVE-2023-4061 vulnerability was first reported by the Wildfly team and disclosed in the project's security advisories. You can find more information about this vulnerability in the following sources:

1. Wildfly Security Advisories: https://www.wildfly.org/security/
2. NVD - CVE details: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-4061
3. Red Hat Bugzilla report: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=174796

Conclusion

It is crucial to understand and be aware of vulnerabilities, such as CVE-2023-4061, affecting widely-used open-source software components like Wildfly-Core. Keeping oneself updated on the latest security advisories and applying necessary patches can help mitigate the risk posed by these vulnerabilities and protect your applications and systems from malicious attacks.

In the case of CVE-2023-4061, it is recommended that the Wildfly-Core package be updated to a non-vulnerable version to prevent potential exploits of the resolve-expression operation in the HAL Interface. Always exercise caution when granting access to management interfaces to ensure only trusted users have access to potentially sensitive information.

Timeline

Published on: 11/08/2023 01:15:08 UTC
Last modified on: 11/16/2023 16:03:43 UTC