GHSA-5mq7-rwhj-4fh9
Steeltoe: Header-forwarded client cert lacks proof of private-key possession
Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| NuGet | Steeltoe.Security.Authorization.Certificate | < 4.3.0 | 4.3.0 |
Details
As written in the advisory (Markdown source, shown as plain text).
### Summary
When Steeltoe's certificate-based authorization (`UseCertificateAuthorization`) is configured, the default configuration of the middleware relies on the `X-Client-Cert` HTTP header to identify the client certificate, without verifying private-key possession. This header is not stripped by common Cloud Foundry routers (like Gorouter or Envoy) on inbound requests.
### Impact
An attacker who obtains the public certificate of an application instance in the target organization or space can spoof the `X-Client-Cert` header. This allows the attacker to bypass `SameOrg` and `SameSpace` authorization policies, granting unauthorized access to protected endpoints for the duration of the certificate's validity period.
### Affected configuration
- The application uses `AddOrgAndSpacePolicies()` and `UseCertificateAuthorization()` for inter-service authorization.
- Inbound requests are not restricted to a known trusted proxy source IP.
- The application's endpoints are network-accessible to the attacker (e.g., exposed to the internet via a public Cloud Foundry route, or the attacker has access to the internal Cloud Foundry network).
### Mitigations
If an immediate upgrade to a patched version is not possible:
- Restrict `UseCertificateForwarding` to trusted proxy source IPs using `ForwardedHeadersOptions.KnownProxies` and `KnownNetworks`.
- Change the forwarding header to `X-Forwarded-Client-Cert` so that Cloud Foundry Gorouter and Envoy header stripping mechanisms apply to inbound untrusted requests.
- Add a secondary authorization layer (e.g., a shared secret or mutual TLS at the proxy layer) for sensitive endpoints.
- Ensure the application is not bound to a public route unless explicitly required. Use Cloud Foundry internal routes (e.g., `.apps.internal`) and container-to-container network policies to strictly limit network access to intended internal clients.
References
External links from the advisory. They lead to third-party sites.
- https://github.com/SteeltoeOSS/security-advisories/security/advisories/GHSA-5mq7-rwhj-4fh9
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-81868
- https://github.com/SteeltoeOSS/Steeltoe/commit/b626ef3d60aaf19c68eeeed5ee81045406c8c6d0
- https://github.com/SteeltoeOSS/Steeltoe/releases/tag/4.3.0
- https://github.com/SteeltoeOSS/security-advisories