CVE-2014-4651
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2014-4651 is a path traversal vulnerability in Apache jclouds where the scriptbuilder Statements class writes temporary files to predictable locations. This allows attackers to access sensitive data, cause denial of service, or perform other attacks by manipulating predictable file paths. Systems using vulnerable versions of Apache jclouds are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Apache jclouds
📦 What is this software?
Jclouds by Apache
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise through arbitrary code execution by overwriting critical system files or sensitive configuration files.
Likely Case
Information disclosure of sensitive data from temporary files or denial of service by corrupting critical files.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper file permissions and isolation, though predictable paths remain a risk.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires knowledge of the predictable file paths and ability to write to those locations.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Apache jclouds 1.7.0 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/JCLOUDS-612
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Upgrade Apache jclouds to version 1.7.0 or later. 2. Update all dependencies to use the patched version. 3. Restart all services using jclouds.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Secure temporary directory permissions
linuxRestrict write permissions on temporary directories used by jclouds
chmod 700 /tmp/jclouds_temp
chown root:root /tmp/jclouds_temp
Use secure temporary directory
allConfigure jclouds to use a secure, non-predictable temporary directory
export JCLOUDS_TEMP_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict file permission controls on temporary directories
- Isolate jclouds services in containers or VMs with restricted filesystem access
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check jclouds version: grep -r 'jclouds' pom.xml or check Maven dependencies for versions < 1.7.0Check Version:
mvn dependency:tree | grep jcloudsVerify Fix Applied:
Verify jclouds version is 1.7.0 or higher and check that temporary files are no longer written to predictable locations📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized file access attempts in /tmp directories
- Unexpected file creation in predictable temporary paths
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from jclouds services
SIEM Query:
source="jclouds.log" AND (event="FileAccess" OR event="TempFileCreation")