GHSA-hgw6-8c77-v4gq
Armeria: External Control of File Name or Path in xDS SDS DataSource
Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maven | com.linecorp.armeria:armeria-xds | < 1.40.0 | 1.40.0 |
Details
As written in the advisory (Markdown source, shown as plain text).
## External Control of File Name or Path in xDS SDS DataSource
### Summary
`DataSourceStream` in the `:xds` module resolves control-plane-supplied `filename` and `environment_variable` fields from SDS Secret resources without any allow-list or base-directory confinement. A semi-trusted or compromised xDS control plane (or an attacker who can MITM SDS responses) can read arbitrary local files and environment variables on the xDS client host.
**Affected component:** `xds/src/main/java/com/linecorp/armeria/xds/DataSourceStream.java`
**Introduced in:** Armeria 1.38.0 (commit `b199560b10`, "Add support for SDS", #6597)
**Affected versions:** 1.38.0, 1.39.0
### Impact
A semi-trusted or compromised xDS control plane (or an attacker who can inject/MITM SDS responses) can:
- **Read arbitrary files** on the xDS client host — TLS private keys, `/etc/passwd`, mounted Kubernetes service-account tokens, cloud credential files, etc.
- **Read arbitrary environment variables** — `AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY`, CI tokens, database credentials, etc.
The read bytes are consumed as TLS key/cert/CA material. Combined with CWE-295 (silent disabling of upstream TLS peer verification), the exfiltrated secret can be presented to an attacker-chosen upstream, enabling data exfiltration. This is a confused-deputy / information-disclosure primitive driven entirely by control-plane-supplied configuration.
**Severity:** High — arbitrary host-level file and environment variable read via control-plane-pushed configuration.
### Patches
1.40.0
The fix should:
1. **Confine `filename` resolution** to an operator-configured allow-list of base directories. After normalization, reject any path that escapes the allow-listed root.
2. **Gate `environment_variable`** behind an explicit operator allow-list of permitted variable names.
3. **Default to denying** both `filename` and `environment_variable` DataSources for control-plane-delivered (SDS) secrets unless explicitly enabled by the operator. This is stricter than upstream Envoy but appropriate when the control plane is not fully trusted.
4. **Document the trust model** clearly so operators understand that enabling file/env DataSources grants the control plane host-level read capability.
### Workarounds
- Ensure the xDS control plane channel is authenticated and encrypted (mTLS) to prevent MITM injection of malicious SDS responses.
- Run the xDS client with minimal filesystem permissions and a restricted environment to limit the blast radius of arbitrary reads.
- If SDS file-based secrets are not needed, consider using inline `DataSource` bytes only (delivered over the SDS stream itself) and auditing control-plane configurations to ensure no `filename` or `environment_variable` DataSources are present.
References
External links from the advisory. They lead to third-party sites.