CVE-2024-7012: Red Hat Satellite Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2024-7012 Overview

An authentication bypass vulnerability has been identified in Foreman when deployed with External Authentication, due to the puppet-foreman configuration. This issue arises from Apache's mod_proxy not properly unsetting headers because of restrictions on underscores in HTTP headers, allowing authentication through a malformed header. This flaw impacts all active Satellite deployments (6.13, 6.14 and 6.15) and could potentially enable unauthorized users to gain administrative access.

Critical Impact

Unauthorized users can bypass authentication entirely and gain administrative access to Red Hat Satellite infrastructure management systems, potentially compromising the entire managed environment.

Affected Products

• Red Hat Satellite 6.13
• Red Hat Satellite 6.14
• Red Hat Satellite 6.15

Discovery Timeline

• September 4, 2024 - CVE-2024-7012 published to NVD
• November 6, 2024 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-7012

Vulnerability Analysis

This authentication bypass vulnerability (CWE-287) exists within the interaction between Apache's mod_proxy module and the puppet-foreman configuration when External Authentication is enabled. The fundamental issue stems from how HTTP header normalization is handled during proxy operations.

When HTTP requests pass through Apache's mod_proxy, headers containing underscores are treated differently than headers with hyphens. The puppet-foreman configuration relies on specific headers for authentication purposes, but due to Apache's header handling restrictions, malformed headers containing underscores are not properly unset or sanitized before being passed to the backend Foreman application.

An attacker can craft HTTP requests with specially formatted headers that exploit this inconsistency, effectively bypassing the external authentication mechanism. Since Foreman/Satellite serves as a centralized infrastructure management platform, successful exploitation grants full administrative control over all managed systems.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in the mismatch between Apache's header handling behavior and the puppet-foreman authentication configuration. Apache's mod_proxy has specific restrictions on how headers with underscores are processed, which creates a gap in the authentication flow. The puppet-foreman configuration does not account for this behavior, leaving authentication headers vulnerable to manipulation through malformed requests.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires no privileges or user interaction. An attacker with network access to the Satellite web interface can exploit this vulnerability by:

1. Identifying a Red Hat Satellite instance using External Authentication
2. Crafting HTTP requests with malformed authentication headers containing underscores
3. Sending the crafted requests to bypass the authentication mechanism
4. Gaining administrative access to the Satellite console

The vulnerability manifests in the header processing flow between Apache's mod_proxy and the Foreman backend. When external authentication is configured, the proxy is expected to unset certain headers before forwarding requests. However, due to underscore handling restrictions, attackers can inject headers that bypass this sanitization. For detailed technical analysis, see the Red Hat Bug Report #2299429.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-7012

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected administrative sessions or user accounts created in Foreman/Satellite
• HTTP access logs showing requests with unusual header patterns containing underscores in authentication-related fields
• Unauthorized changes to Satellite configurations or managed host registrations
• Authentication logs showing successful logins without corresponding external authentication provider events

Detection Strategies

• Monitor Apache access logs for HTTP requests with malformed headers, particularly those containing underscores in authentication-related header names
• Implement log correlation between external authentication providers and Satellite login events to detect authentication bypass attempts
• Deploy web application firewall rules to inspect and block requests with suspicious header patterns targeting the Satellite web interface
• Enable verbose logging in Foreman to capture authentication decision points for forensic analysis

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure SIEM alerts for administrative actions in Satellite that lack corresponding external authentication events
• Monitor for unexpected changes to provisioning templates, host groups, or infrastructure configurations
• Implement network-level monitoring for anomalous traffic patterns to Satellite management interfaces
• Review Satellite audit logs regularly for signs of unauthorized access or configuration changes

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-7012

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the appropriate Red Hat security updates immediately based on your Satellite version
• Restrict network access to Satellite management interfaces to trusted administrative networks only
• Review Satellite audit logs for any signs of unauthorized access prior to patching
• Verify external authentication configurations and ensure no unauthorized administrative accounts exist

Patch Information

Red Hat has released security advisories addressing this vulnerability across all affected Satellite versions:

• Red Hat Security Advisory RHSA-2024:6335 - Satellite 6.15 update
• Red Hat Security Advisory RHSA-2024:6336 - Satellite 6.14 update
• Red Hat Security Advisory RHSA-2024:6337 - Satellite 6.13 update
• Red Hat Security Advisory RHSA-2024:8906 - Additional update

Organizations should apply the relevant patches through standard Red Hat package management. For detailed CVE information, refer to the Red Hat CVE-2024-7012 Details page.

Workarounds

• Restrict Satellite web interface access to trusted internal networks using firewall rules until patches can be applied
• Consider temporarily disabling External Authentication and using local authentication if acceptable for your environment
• Implement reverse proxy rules to sanitize or reject HTTP requests containing underscores in sensitive header names
• Deploy additional authentication layers such as VPN requirements for accessing Satellite management interfaces

# Example: Restrict Satellite access to trusted network using firewalld
firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --remove-service=http
firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --remove-service=https
firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=trusted --add-source=10.0.0.0/8
firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=trusted --add-service=http
firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=trusted --add-service=https
firewall-cmd --reload