CVE-2023-6019: Ray Project Ray RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2023-6019 Overview

CVE-2023-6019 is a critical command injection vulnerability in the Ray distributed computing framework. The vulnerability exists in Ray's cpu_profile URL parameter within the Ray dashboard, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the target system without any authentication requirements.

Ray is a popular open-source framework used for scaling AI and Python applications. The dashboard component provides monitoring and management capabilities for Ray clusters. Due to improper input sanitization in the cpu_profile endpoint, attackers can inject malicious commands that are executed by the underlying operating system with the privileges of the Ray dashboard process.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated remote command execution allows attackers to fully compromise systems running Ray dashboards, potentially leading to data theft, lateral movement, and complete system takeover in AI/ML infrastructure environments.

Affected Products

• Ray_project Ray (versions prior to 2.8.1)
• Ray Dashboard component
• Systems exposing Ray Dashboard to network access

Discovery Timeline

• 2023-11-16 - CVE-2023-6019 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2023-6019

Vulnerability Analysis

This command injection vulnerability (CWE-78) allows attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands remotely without authentication. The vulnerability requires no user interaction and can be exploited over the network with low attack complexity, making it particularly dangerous for exposed Ray dashboard instances.

The vulnerability affects the cpu_profile URL parameter in the Ray dashboard's web interface. When processing profiling requests, the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before passing it to system shell commands. This allows an attacker to craft malicious input containing shell metacharacters and command separators to inject and execute arbitrary commands.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2023-6019 is improper input validation and sanitization in the Ray dashboard's cpu_profile functionality. The URL parameter value is passed directly to a system shell command without adequate escaping or validation of potentially dangerous characters. This allows shell metacharacters such as semicolons, pipes, and command substitution syntax to break out of the intended command context and execute attacker-controlled commands.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, targeting the Ray dashboard web interface. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted HTTP request to the cpu_profile endpoint with malicious command injection payloads embedded in the URL parameter.

The exploitation process involves:

1. Identifying an exposed Ray dashboard instance (typically running on port 8265)
2. Crafting a malicious request to the cpu_profile endpoint
3. Injecting OS commands through shell metacharacters in the URL parameter
4. The injected commands execute with the privileges of the Ray dashboard process

Since no authentication is required, any attacker with network access to the Ray dashboard can exploit this vulnerability. The vulnerability is particularly concerning for cloud-based AI/ML infrastructure where Ray clusters may be inadvertently exposed to the internet.

Detection Methods for CVE-2023-6019

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual HTTP requests to the Ray dashboard cpu_profile endpoint containing shell metacharacters (;, |, $(), backticks)
• Unexpected child processes spawned by the Ray dashboard process
• Anomalous outbound network connections from Ray dashboard hosts
• Suspicious command execution patterns in system logs correlating with Ray dashboard access

Detection Strategies

• Monitor HTTP access logs for requests containing command injection patterns targeting /api/cpu_profile or similar profiling endpoints
• Implement network intrusion detection rules to identify command injection attempts in Ray dashboard traffic
• Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect anomalous process creation from Ray dashboard processes
• Use web application firewalls (WAF) to block requests containing common command injection payloads

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on Ray dashboard instances to capture detailed request information
• Set up alerts for any external access to Ray dashboard endpoints from untrusted networks
• Monitor for process execution anomalies on systems running Ray, particularly shell invocations
• Implement network segmentation monitoring to detect lateral movement attempts following potential compromise

How to Mitigate CVE-2023-6019

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Ray to version 2.8.1 or later immediately
• Restrict network access to Ray dashboard to trusted internal networks only
• Implement firewall rules to block external access to Ray dashboard ports (default 8265)
• Review system logs for evidence of exploitation attempts
• If compromise is suspected, isolate affected systems and perform forensic analysis

Patch Information

The vulnerability has been fixed in Ray version 2.8.1 and later. Organizations should upgrade to the latest stable version of Ray to remediate this vulnerability. For detailed information about the fix and Ray maintainers' response, see the Anyscale blog post on Ray CVEs. Additional technical details about the vulnerability can be found in the Huntr Bounty Listing.

Workarounds

• Implement network-level access controls to restrict Ray dashboard access to authorized IP addresses only
• Deploy a reverse proxy with authentication in front of the Ray dashboard
• Use VPN or other secure access methods for remote administration of Ray clusters
• Disable the Ray dashboard entirely if profiling functionality is not required in production environments

# Configuration example - Restrict Ray dashboard to localhost only
ray start --head --dashboard-host 127.0.0.1

# Alternatively, use firewall rules to restrict access
# Example using iptables to allow only internal network access
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8265 -s 10.0.0.0/8 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8265 -j DROP