CVE-2021-3429 (published 2023-04-19T22:15Z)

When instructing cloud-init to set a random password for a new user account, versions before 21.2 would write that password to the world-readable log file /var/log/cloud-init-output.log. This could allow a local user to log in as another user.

CVSS v3 base score: 5.5, MEDIUM (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N)

Weakness information:
cwe_id: CWE-532
cwe_name: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File
description: Information written to log files can be of a sensitive nature and give valuable guidance to an attacker or expose sensitive user information.
extended_description: 
            While logging all information may be helpful during development stages, it is important that logging levels be set appropriately before a product ships so that sensitive user data and system information are not accidentally exposed to potential attackers.
            Different log files may be produced and stored for:
            
               Server log files (e.g. server.log).  This can give information on whatever application left the file. Usually this can give full path names and system information, and sometimes usernames and passwords.
               log files that are used for debugging
            
         
         

Fix information:
repo_url: https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init
commit_details: repo_url: https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init
author: Daniel Watkins
author_date: 2021-03-19 10:06:42-04:00
msg: write passwords only to serial console, lock down cloud-init-output.log (#847)

Prior to this commit, when a user specified configuration which would
generate random passwords for users, cloud-init would cause those
passwords to be written to the serial console by emitting them on
stderr.  In the default configuration, any stdout or stderr emitted by
cloud-init is also written to `/var/log/cloud-init-output.log`.  This
file is world-readable, meaning that those randomly-generated passwords
were available to be read by any user with access to the system.  This
presents an obvious security issue.

This commit responds to this issue in two ways:

* We address the direct issue by moving from writing the passwords to
  sys.stderr to writing them directly to /dev/console (via
  util.multi_log); this means that the passwords will never end up in
  cloud-init-output.log
* To avoid future issues like this, we also modify the logging code so
  that any files created in a log sink subprocess will only be
  owner/group readable and, if it exists, will be owned by the adm
  group.  This results in `/var/log/cloud-init-output.log` no longer
  being world-readable, meaning that if there are other parts of the
  codebase that are emitting sensitive data intended for the serial
  console, that data is no longer available to all users of the system.

LP: #1918303
repository: repo_url: https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init
repo_name: canonical/cloud-init
description: Official upstream for the cloud-init: cloud instance initialization
repo_language: Python
owner: canonical
file_changes: filename: cc_set_passwords.py
change_type: ModificationType.MODIFY
diff: @@ -78,7 +78,6 @@ password.
 """
 
 import re
-import sys
 
 from cloudinit.distros import ug_util
 from cloudinit import log as logging
@@ -214,7 +213,9 @@ def handle(_name, cfg, cloud, log, args):
         if len(randlist):
             blurb = ("Set the following 'random' passwords\n",
                      '\n'.join(randlist))
-            sys.stderr.write("%s\n%s\n" % blurb)
+            util.multi_log(
+                "%s\n%s\n" % blurb, stderr=False, fallback_to_stdout=False
+            )
 
         if expire:
             expired_users = []

programming_language: Python
filename: test_set_passwords.py
change_type: ModificationType.MODIFY
diff: @@ -74,10 +74,6 @@ class TestSetPasswordsHandle(CiTestCase):
 
     with_logs = True
 
-    def setUp(self):
-        super(TestSetPasswordsHandle, self).setUp()
-        self.add_patch('cloudinit.config.cc_set_passwords.sys.stderr', 'm_err')
-
     def test_handle_on_empty_config(self, *args):
         """handle logs that no password has changed when config is empty."""
         cloud = self.tmp_cloud(distro='ubuntu')
@@ -129,10 +125,12 @@ class TestSetPasswordsHandle(CiTestCase):
             mock.call(['pw', 'usermod', 'ubuntu', '-p', '01-Jan-1970'])],
             m_subp.call_args_list)
 
+    @mock.patch(MODPATH + "util.multi_log")
     @mock.patch(MODPATH + "util.is_BSD")
     @mock.patch(MODPATH + "subp.subp")
-    def test_handle_on_chpasswd_list_creates_random_passwords(self, m_subp,
-                                                              m_is_bsd):
+    def test_handle_on_chpasswd_list_creates_random_passwords(
+        self, m_subp, m_is_bsd, m_multi_log
+    ):
         """handle parses command set random passwords."""
         m_is_bsd.return_value = False
         cloud = self.tmp_cloud(distro='ubuntu')
@@ -146,10 +144,32 @@ class TestSetPasswordsHandle(CiTestCase):
         self.assertIn(
             'DEBUG: Handling input for chpasswd as list.',
             self.logs.getvalue())
-        self.assertNotEqual(
-            [mock.call(['chpasswd'],
-             '\n'.join(valid_random_pwds) + '\n')],
-            m_subp.call_args_list)
+
+        self.assertEqual(1, m_subp.call_count)
+        args, _kwargs = m_subp.call_args
+        self.assertEqual(["chpasswd"], args[0])
+
+        stdin = args[1]
+        user_pass = {
+            user: password
+            for user, password
+            in (line.split(":") for line in stdin.splitlines())
+        }
+
+        self.assertEqual(1, m_multi_log.call_count)
+        self.assertEqual(
+            mock.call(mock.ANY, stderr=False, fallback_to_stdout=False),
+            m_multi_log.call_args
+        )
+
+        self.assertEqual(set(["root", "ubuntu"]), set(user_pass.keys()))
+        written_lines = m_multi_log.call_args[0][0].splitlines()
+        for password in user_pass.values():
+            for line in written_lines:
+                if password in line:
+                    break
+            else:
+                self.fail("Password not emitted to console")
 
 
 # vi: ts=4 expandtab

programming_language: Python
filename: test_util.py
change_type: ModificationType.MODIFY
diff: @@ -851,4 +851,60 @@ class TestEnsureFile:
         assert "ab" == kwargs["omode"]
 
 
+@mock.patch("cloudinit.util.grp.getgrnam")
+@mock.patch("cloudinit.util.os.setgid")
+@mock.patch("cloudinit.util.os.umask")
+class TestRedirectOutputPreexecFn:
+    """This tests specifically the preexec_fn used in redirect_output."""
+
+    @pytest.fixture(params=["outfmt", "errfmt"])
+    def preexec_fn(self, request):
+        """A fixture to gather the preexec_fn used by redirect_output.
+
+        This enables simpler direct testing of it, and parameterises any tests
+        using it to cover both the stdout and stderr code paths.
+        """
+        test_string = "| piped output to invoke subprocess"
+        if request.param == "outfmt":
+            args = (test_string, None)
+        elif request.param == "errfmt":
+            args = (None, test_string)
+        with mock.patch("cloudinit.util.subprocess.Popen") as m_popen:
+            util.redirect_output(*args)
+
+        assert 1 == m_popen.call_count
+        _args, kwargs = m_popen.call_args
+        assert "preexec_fn" in kwargs, "preexec_fn not passed to Popen"
+        return kwargs["preexec_fn"]
+
+    def test_preexec_fn_sets_umask(
+        self, m_os_umask, _m_setgid, _m_getgrnam, preexec_fn
+    ):
+        """preexec_fn should set a mask that avoids world-readable files."""
+        preexec_fn()
+
+        assert [mock.call(0o037)] == m_os_umask.call_args_list
+
+    def test_preexec_fn_sets_group_id_if_adm_group_present(
+        self, _m_os_umask, m_setgid, m_getgrnam, preexec_fn
+    ):
+        """We should setgrp to adm if present, so files are owned by them."""
+        fake_group = mock.Mock(gr_gid=mock.sentinel.gr_gid)
+        m_getgrnam.return_value = fake_group
+
+        preexec_fn()
+
+        assert [mock.call("adm")] == m_getgrnam.call_args_list
+        assert [mock.call(mock.sentinel.gr_gid)] == m_setgid.call_args_list
+
+    def test_preexec_fn_handles_absent_adm_group_gracefully(
+        self, _m_os_umask, m_setgid, m_getgrnam, preexec_fn
+    ):
+        """We should handle an absent adm group gracefully."""
+        m_getgrnam.side_effect = KeyError("getgrnam(): name not found: 'adm'")
+
+        preexec_fn()
+
+        assert 0 == m_setgid.call_count
+
 # vi: ts=4 expandtab

programming_language: Python
filename: util.py
change_type: ModificationType.MODIFY
diff: @@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ def find_modules(root_dir):
 
 
 def multi_log(text, console=True, stderr=True,
-              log=None, log_level=logging.DEBUG):
+              log=None, log_level=logging.DEBUG, fallback_to_stdout=True):
     if stderr:
         sys.stderr.write(text)
     if console:
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ def multi_log(text, console=True, stderr=True,
             with open(conpath, 'w') as wfh:
                 wfh.write(text)
                 wfh.flush()
-        else:
+        elif fallback_to_stdout:
             # A container may lack /dev/console (arguably a container bug).  If
             # it does not exist, then write output to stdout.  this will result
             # in duplicate stderr and stdout messages if stderr was True.
@@ -623,6 +623,26 @@ def redirect_output(outfmt, errfmt, o_out=None, o_err=None):
     if not o_err:
         o_err = sys.stderr
 
+    # pylint: disable=subprocess-popen-preexec-fn
+    def set_subprocess_umask_and_gid():
+        """Reconfigure umask and group ID to create output files securely.
+
+        This is passed to subprocess.Popen as preexec_fn, so it is executed in
+        the context of the newly-created process.  It:
+
+        * sets the umask of the process so created files aren't world-readable
+        * if an adm group exists in the system, sets that as the process' GID
+          (so that the created file(s) are owned by root:adm)
+        """
+        os.umask(0o037)
+        try:
+            group_id = grp.getgrnam("adm").gr_gid
+        except KeyError:
+            # No adm group, don't set a group
+            pass
+        else:
+            os.setgid(group_id)
+
     if outfmt:
         LOG.debug("Redirecting %s to %s", o_out, outfmt)
         (mode, arg) = outfmt.split(" ", 1)
@@ -632,7 +652,12 @@ def redirect_output(outfmt, errfmt, o_out=None, o_err=None):
                 owith = "wb"
             new_fp = open(arg, owith)
         elif mode == "|":
-            proc = subprocess.Popen(arg, shell=True, stdin=subprocess.PIPE)
+            proc = subprocess.Popen(
+                arg,
+                shell=True,
+                stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
+                preexec_fn=set_subprocess_umask_and_gid,
+            )
             new_fp = proc.stdin
         else:
             raise TypeError("Invalid type for output format: %s" % outfmt)
@@ -654,7 +679,12 @@ def redirect_output(outfmt, errfmt, o_out=None, o_err=None):
                 owith = "wb"
             new_fp = open(arg, owith)
         elif mode == "|":
-            proc = subprocess.Popen(arg, shell=True, stdin=subprocess.PIPE)
+            proc = subprocess.Popen(
+                arg,
+                shell=True,
+                stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
+                preexec_fn=set_subprocess_umask_and_gid,
+            )
             new_fp = proc.stdin
         else:
             raise TypeError("Invalid type for error format: %s" % errfmt)

programming_language: Python
filename: test_set_password.py
change_type: ModificationType.MODIFY
diff: @@ -116,6 +116,30 @@ class Mixin:
         # Which are not the same
         assert shadow_users["harry"] != shadow_users["dick"]
 
+    def test_random_passwords_not_stored_in_cloud_init_output_log(
+        self, class_client
+    ):
+        """We should not emit passwords to the in-instance log file.
+
+        LP: #1918303
+        """
+        cloud_init_output = class_client.read_from_file(
+            "/var/log/cloud-init-output.log"
+        )
+        assert "dick:" not in cloud_init_output
+        assert "harry:" not in cloud_init_output
+
+    def test_random_passwords_emitted_to_serial_console(self, class_client):
+        """We should emit passwords to the serial console. (LP: #1918303)"""
+        try:
+            console_log = class_client.instance.console_log()
+        except NotImplementedError:
+            # Assume that an exception here means that we can't use the console
+            # log
+            pytest.skip("NotImplementedError when requesting console log")
+        assert "dick:" in console_log
+        assert "harry:" in console_log
+
     def test_explicit_password_set_correctly(self, class_client):
         """Test that an explicitly-specified password is set correctly."""
         shadow_users, _ = self._fetch_and_parse_etc_shadow(class_client)

programming_language: Python
filename: test_logging.py
change_type: ModificationType.ADD
diff: @@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+"""Integration tests relating to cloud-init's logging."""
+
+
+class TestVarLogCloudInitOutput:
+    """Integration tests relating to /var/log/cloud-init-output.log."""
+
+    def test_var_log_cloud_init_output_not_world_readable(self, client):
+        """
+        The log can contain sensitive data, it shouldn't be world-readable.
+
+        LP: #1918303
+        """
+        # Check the file exists
+        assert client.execute("test -f /var/log/cloud-init-output.log").ok
+
+        # Check its permissions are as we expect
+        perms, user, group = client.execute(
+            "stat -c %a:%U:%G /var/log/cloud-init-output.log"
+        ).split(":")
+        assert "640" == perms
+        assert "root" == user
+        assert "adm" == group

programming_language: Batchfile
filename: test_util.py
change_type: ModificationType.MODIFY
diff: @@ -572,6 +572,10 @@ class TestMultiLog(helpers.FilesystemMockingTestCase):
         util.multi_log(logged_string)
         self.assertEqual(logged_string, self.stdout.getvalue())
 
+    def test_logs_dont_go_to_stdout_if_fallback_to_stdout_is_false(self):
+        util.multi_log('something', fallback_to_stdout=False)
+        self.assertEqual('', self.stdout.getvalue())
+
     def test_logs_go_to_log_if_given(self):
         log = mock.MagicMock()
         logged_string = 'something very important'

programming_language: Python