Galaxy is a widely-used, open-source platform designed to enable easy and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data analysis. Researchers, data scientists, and others rely on Galaxy to conduct various types of scientific analyses without technical expertise. With a vast user base, it is unfortunate to discover that prior to version 22.05, Galaxy has a vulnerability. This vulnerability, known as CVE-2023-42812, is a server-side request forgery (SSRF) issue. The good news is that version 22.05 contains a patch to address this vulnerability.
What is Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)?
Server-side request forgery (SSRF) is a type of vulnerability where an attacker can force a server to send HTTP/HTTPS requests on their behalf. This technique allows the attacker to gain access to internal systems, bypassing firewalls and other security measures. The impact of SSRF can be severe, as it potentially allows unauthorized access to sensitive data and systems.
Details on the CVE-2023-42812 Vulnerability in Galaxy
The SSRF vulnerability in Galaxy (CVE-2023-42812) is caused due to improper validation and sanitization of user-provided inputs when making HTTP/HTTPS requests. As a result, an attacker can craft a malicious request to make the Galaxy server issue arbitrary HTTP/HTTPS requests to internal hosts on their behalf and read their responses. This could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data and systems as well as performing further attacks by exploiting other vulnerabilities in those internal systems.
To demonstrate the issue, let's assume that there is an internal system accessible at http://internal-host.example.com with sensitive data. The attacker could craft a request like below:
curl -X GET "http://galaxy.example.com/api/tools/query?target=http://internal-host.example.com"
By sending this request, the attacker tricks the Galaxy server into fetching data from http://internal-host.example.com instead of the intended target. The data fetched from the internal host would then be returned in the server's response, potentially leaking sensitive information.
Solution and Patch
The Galaxy team has released a patch for this SSRF vulnerability in version 22.05. The patch enforces stricter validation and sanitization of user-provided inputs — to mitigate the risk of SSRF attacks.
Galaxy users are strongly encouraged to update their instances to version 22.05 or later, as soon as possible. For detailed instructions on how to update Galaxy, please refer to the official Galaxy documentation:
- Galaxy Update Documentation
Conclusion and Additional Resources
CVE-2023-42812 is a critical vulnerability in the Galaxy open-source platform, posing a significant risk to users and their data. Fortunately, the issue has been addressed in the latest version. Users should update their Galaxy instances to version 22.05 or later to ensure their systems are not vulnerable to this SSRF exploit.
For more information on Galaxy and the patched vulnerability, please visit these resources
1. Galaxy Official Website
2. Galaxy Github Repository
Stay safe, and keep your systems up-to-date to minimize the risk of vulnerabilities and data breaches.
Timeline
Published on: 09/22/2023 17:15:14 UTC
Last modified on: 09/25/2023 18:21:01 UTC