GHSA-wj7f-468m-6mv8 Environment variables still accessible through /proc

Not scored Published

Attackers can read sensitive environment variables from /proc/self/environ within the Birdcage sandbox, bypassing intended isolation.

Exploited in the wild
Not known
Login needed
Not needed
Attackable
Local or same network only
Victim action needed
Not needed
Fix
Available

What is GHSA-wj7f-468m-6mv8?

GHSA-wj7f-468m-6mv8 is a vulnerability in birdcage, published on 1 Dec 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

Impact

Environment variables can be read from procfs unless a new process is started.

PoC

use birdcage::{Birdcage, Sandbox};
use std::{env, fs};

fn main() {
    Birdcage::new().lock().unwrap();

    assert_eq!(env::var_os("SECRET"), None);

    let environ = fs::read_to_string("/proc/self/environ").unwrap();
    assert!(!environ.contains("SECRET"), "ENVIRON CONTAINS SECRET:\n{environ}");
}
$  SECRET=test cargo run
thread 'main' panicked at src/main.rs:10:5:
ENVIRON CONTAINS SECRET:
 [truncated]

Possible Solutions

The simplest solution would be relying on the ptrace isolation and always spawning a new process by changing birdcage's API to create a new command. With an additional PID namespace the guarantees could be even further reinforced.

Which versions are affected by GHSA-wj7f-468m-6mv8?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including birdcage.

PackageAffectedFixed in
birdcage crates.ioAll versions0.7.0
birdcage crates.ioAll versions0.7.0

How do I fix GHSA-wj7f-468m-6mv8?

Upgrade birdcage to 0.7.0 or later.

Is GHSA-wj7f-468m-6mv8 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of GHSA-wj7f-468m-6mv8 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

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