CVE-2025-32111

Remediation/Mitigation Strategy: CVE-2025-32111

This document outlines a remediation and mitigation strategy for CVE-2025-32111, a vulnerability found in the acme.sh Docker image.

1. Vulnerability Description:

CVE-2025-32111 stems from the acme.sh Docker image, specifically versions prior to commit 40b6db6. The vulnerability arises because the .github/workflows/dockerhub.yml file used to build the Docker image lacks the crucial persist-credentials: false setting within the actions/checkout action. This omission can potentially lead to the unintended persistence of sensitive credentials within the Docker image build context.

2. Severity:

  • CVSS Score: 8.7 (High)
  • CVSS Vector: (Based on provided data, we can infer a partial CVSS vector. A complete vector would be ideal, but we can reconstruct a plausible one: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N) This suggests:
    • Attack Vector (AV): Network (AV:N) - The attack can be launched from the network.
    • Attack Complexity (AC): Low (AC:L) - Exploitation is relatively straightforward.
    • Privileges Required (PR): Low (PR:L) - An attacker with low privileges (e.g., a user with access to the CI/CD pipeline) can exploit this vulnerability.
    • User Interaction (UI): None (UI:N) - No user interaction is required to exploit the vulnerability.
    • Scope (S): Changed (S:C) - An exploited vulnerability can affect resources beyond the attacker’s control.
    • Confidentiality (C): High (C:H) - A successful exploit can lead to a high degree of sensitive information disclosure.
    • Integrity (I): None (I:N) - No impact to data integrity.
    • Availability (A): None (A:N) - No impact to system availability.

3. Known Exploits:

While no specific public exploit code is mentioned, the vulnerability’s nature makes it likely that:

  • An attacker gaining access to the Docker build environment or the resulting image could potentially extract persisted credentials (e.g., API keys, tokens, passwords) left over from the checkout process.
  • If the actions/checkout action was used to clone repositories containing secrets, these secrets might unintentionally be included in the final Docker image.

4. Remediation Strategy:

The primary remediation is to update the acme.sh Docker image build process.

  • Action: Update the .github/workflows/dockerhub.yml file to explicitly include persist-credentials: false under the actions/checkout step. This ensures that credentials used during the checkout process are not persisted in the Docker image build context.

    steps:
    • uses: actions/checkout@v3 with: persist-credentials: false # <— Add this line

  • Version: Upgrade to acme.sh version including commit 40b6db6 or later, where this fix has been implemented.

  • Verification: After updating the dockerhub.yml file, rebuild the Docker image. Verify that the new image does not contain any sensitive credentials that may have been persisted in previous builds. You can use tools like docker history, docker inspect, and image scanning tools to inspect the image layers.

  • Image Scanning: Implement regular image scanning using tools like Clair, Trivy, or Anchore to identify potential vulnerabilities, including exposed credentials, in your Docker images. These scans should be part of your CI/CD pipeline.

  • Secret Management: Use secure secret management practices:

    • Don’t hardcode secrets: Never hardcode sensitive information directly into your code or Dockerfiles.
    • Environment variables: Pass secrets to the Docker container at runtime using environment variables.
    • Secret management tools: Consider using dedicated secret management tools like HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, or Google Cloud Secret Manager to securely store and manage secrets.

5. Mitigation Strategy (if immediate remediation is not possible):

If an immediate upgrade or rebuild is not feasible, consider the following mitigation steps:

  • Restrict Access: Limit access to the Docker build environment and the deployed Docker images to authorized personnel only.
  • Monitor Image Usage: Monitor the usage of the vulnerable Docker image for any suspicious activity, such as unauthorized access attempts or data exfiltration.
  • Rotate Credentials: If you suspect that credentials may have been exposed, immediately rotate those credentials (e.g., generate new API keys, change passwords).
  • Network Segmentation: Implement network segmentation to limit the blast radius of a potential compromise.
  • Implement strict firewall rules: Limit network traffic to and from the affected container to only necessary services.
  • Audit Logging: Enable comprehensive audit logging on the host system and within the Docker container to track user activity and system events.

6. Communication:

  • Inform relevant teams (development, security, operations) about the vulnerability and the planned remediation and mitigation steps.
  • Document the remediation and mitigation efforts for future reference.

7. Timeline:

  • Remediation: Aim to implement the remediation steps within [Specify timeframe, e.g., 1 week].
  • Mitigation: Implement mitigation measures immediately while remediation is in progress.

8. Responsible Parties:

  • [Specify individuals or teams responsible for remediation and mitigation].

Important Considerations:

  • This remediation strategy assumes that the credentials potentially persisted were primarily related to the actions/checkout action. A thorough audit of the Docker image build process is crucial to identify any other potential sources of exposed credentials.
  • Regularly review and update your security practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in the future. Automate security checks within your CI/CD pipeline.
  • Stay informed about security advisories and vulnerability disclosures related to your software dependencies.

By implementing this remediation and mitigation strategy, you can significantly reduce the risk associated with CVE-2025-32111 and protect your sensitive information.

Assigner

Date

  • Published Date: 2025-04-04 00:00:00
  • Updated Date: 2025-04-04 07:15:43

More Details

CVE-2025-32111