CVE-2022-2721: Octopus Server Target Discovery Plaintext Log Leakage with Verbose Logging Enabled

CVE-2022-2721 refers to a security vulnerability discovered in certain versions of Octopus Server, a prominent continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) platform. In affected versions, target discovery can mistakenly print sensitive values as plaintext in log files when verbose logging is enabled. This issue could potentially expose sensitive data to unauthorized users, potentially leading to information disclosure and creating a security risk for organizations using the platform.

Exploit Details

The vulnerability affects a specific component of Octopus Server called "target discovery." When verbose logging is enabled, the system can generate log files that contain sensitive values written in plaintext. Verbose logging is a feature that allows for detailed logs to be maintained, which can aid in debugging and investigating application issues. However, in this case, sensitive data that should be protected gets exposed, creating potential security risks.

The issue is caused by inappropriate handling of secure variables within the logging subsystem of the application. Instead of masking or securely encrypting sensitive values, the logging system captures and records this data in plaintext.

A hypothetical code snippet that demonstrates a vulnerable logging mechanism can look like this

def log(target_name, sensitive_value, verbose_logging):
    if verbose_logging:
        print(f"Discovering target {target_name} with API key: {SensitiveValue}")
    else:
        print(f"Discovering target {target_name}...")

# Example usage
log("example_target", "API_KEY_VALUE", True)  # Vulnerable verbose logging enabled

In this scenario, an API key for a specific target is being printed as plaintext in the log files when verbose_logging is set to True. Any unauthorized user or attacker with access to these log files could potentially retrieve sensitive data.

References

The official references to this vulnerability could be found in the subsequent CVE database entry and the vendor's security advisory:
1. CVE Database Entry: https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2022-2721

Mitigation and Resolution

To mitigate this specific issue, users are strongly encouraged to disable verbose logging if it's not necessary for their environment. In case verbose logging is required, restrict access to log files and directories, monitor log file access, and utilize log sanitization mechanisms to prevent sensitive data leakage.

Moreover, the developers of Octopus Server have released a patch addressing this vulnerability in recent updates. Users are urged to update their Octopus Server installations to the latest patched version to secure their systems against this risk.

To conclude, CVE-2022-2721 is a security vulnerability that affects certain versions of Octopus Server, leading to potential data leakage of sensitive values when verbose logging is enabled. Organizations using the platform should take necessary steps to mitigate the risk and update their installations as soon as possible.

Timeline

Published on: 11/25/2022 05:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/29/2022 20:25:00 UTC