On February 12, 2024, a new security flaw, CVE-2024-1102, was published that impacts the jberet-core Java library. This vulnerability arises when an exception in the dbProperties configuration might accidentally log sensitive database credentials (such as the username and password) to log files or consoles. Since jberet-core is used for batch processing in various enterprise Java environments, this issue puts a wide range of applications and their underlying data at risk of exposure.

In this article, we'll break down what this vulnerability is, look at the involved code pattern, showcase an example exploit, explain practical impacts, and share guidance and resources for developers and administrators.

The Vulnerability Explained

jberet-core utilizes a set of properties, known as dbProperties, for configuring database access for job repositories. If there's an exception while loading or using these properties (say, due to a bad connection string or missing driver), the resulting error may print the entire contents of the dbProperties—which very often include the database username and password.

This happens because exception handlers, by default, log all the failing properties for debugging. Unless carefully filtered, this logging transparently leaks sensitive values into logs.

Risk: In a production or even staging environment, those logs might be accessible to anyone with file or log access, directly leaking your database secrets.

Where is the Problem in the Code?

Here's a simplified code snippet (demonstration only) that illustrates the core of the issue (Actual file in jberet-core GitHub repo):

public void setupRepository(Properties dbProperties) {
    try {
        // Attempt database connection using dbProperties
        DataSource ds = setupDataSource(dbProperties);
        // further processing...
    } catch (Exception e) {
        // Bad logging: dumps properties, likely including password!
        logger.error("Failed to set up repository with dbProperties: " + dbProperties, e);
    }
}

What's wrong here?
If the exception is triggered, dbProperties.toString() will dump *all* key-value pairs, including those like password, directly into application logs.

Suppose your batch job has this configuration

javax.persistence.jdbc.url=jdbc:mysql://dbserver:3306/appdb
javax.persistence.jdbc.user=mydbuser
javax.persistence.jdbc.password=SuperSecretP@sswrd

Now, due to a typo or misconfiguration, the database server is unreachable. When your job runs, the catch block executes and prints:

ERROR: Failed to set up repository with dbProperties: 
{javax.persistence.jdbc.url=jdbc:mysql://dbserver:3306/appdb, 
 javax.persistence.jdbc.user=mydbuser, 
 javax.persistence.jdbc.password=SuperSecretP@sswrd}
Caused by: java.sql.SQLException: Communications link failure
...

Just opening the standard log file reveals both the username and the password.
Any developer, sysadmin, or threat actor with log access instantly has the credentials.

Why Is This Bad?

- Credential Harvesting: Logs are often read during troubleshooting. Whoever sees these logs can harvest the database password.
- Privilege Escalation: Attackers with low-level access (where only logs are readable) can gain full database access.
- Compliance Issues: Storing passwords in plain sight might violate security standards like PCI-DSS, HIPAA, and other regulations.

Official Fix

- As of this writing (June 2024), consult the jberet-core issues page for patches/releases fixing this vulnerability.
- Upgrade to the latest jberet-core version where logging behavior is patched to sanitize or redact sensitive data.

Temporary Workarounds

- Log Sanitization: Filter log messages to automatically remove or replace lines containing keys like password or secret.
- Minimal Properties Logging: Never log entire property maps; instead, only log those properties safe for exposure.

Example

// Safe error logging (example)
logger.error("Failed to set up repository. Database user: " + dbProperties.get("javax.persistence.jdbc.user"), e);
// Do NOT log the password property

Regularly check your log files for accidental leakage of secrets.

- Use dedicated credential management systems and avoid hard-coding or plainly exposing secrets in files or logs.

References (Official and Community)

- CVE-2024-1102 NVD Entry
- jberet-core GitHub Repository
- jberet-core Issue #470 (possible example)
- Red Hat Security Advisory (*may require login*)

Summary

- CVE-2024-1102 exposes database usernames and passwords via bad logging when exceptions occur in jberet-core's dbProperties handling.

Ensure you upgrade to a patched version as soon as possible.

- Meanwhile, search your logs for accidental leaks, restrict log access, and implement log scrubbing if necessary.
- Explore the National Vulnerability Database entry and jberet-core's official repository for updates.

Timeline

Published on: 04/25/2024 17:15:47 UTC
Last modified on: 07/03/2024 01:44:59 UTC