CVE-2016-5386
Description
An input-validation flaw was discovered in the Go programming language built in CGI implementation, which set the environment variable "HTTP_PROXY" using the incoming "Proxy" HTTP-request header. The environment variable "HTTP_PROXY" is used by numerous web clients, including Go's net/http package, to specify a proxy server to use for HTTP and, in some cases, HTTPS requests. This meant that when a CGI-based web application ran, an attacker could specify a proxy server which the application then used for subsequent outgoing requests, allowing a man-in-the-middle attack.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5 | 8.1 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Network | Network | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | High | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | None | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | None | N/A |
| Scope | Changed | Unchanged | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | High | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | Low | High | N/A |
| Availability Impact | None | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v2 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5 | 6.8 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Network | Network | N/A |
| Access Complexity | Low | Medium | N/A |
| Authentication | None | None | N/A |
| Confidentiality Impact | None | Partial | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | Partial | Partial | N/A |
| Availability Impact | None | Partial | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
NVD: AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory)
An attacker could provide unexpected values and cause a program crash or arbitrary control of resource allocation, leading to excessive consumption of resources such as memory and CPU.
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Memory; Read Files or Directories
An attacker could read confidential data if they are able to control resource references.
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
An attacker could use malicious input to modify data or possibly alter control flow in unexpected ways, including arbitrary command execution.
Acknowledgements
Red Hat would like to thank Scott Geary (VendHQ) for reporting this issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not sure what something means? Check out our Security Glossary.
Want to get errata notifications? Sign up here.