CVE-2013-2716
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedPuppet Labs Puppet Enterprise before 2.8.0 does not use a "randomized secret" in the CAS client config file (cas_client_config.yml) when upgrading from older 1.2.x or 2.0.x versions, which allows remote attackers to obtain console access via a crafted cookie.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceDuring upgrade from Puppet Enterprise 1.2.x or 2.0.x to versions before 2.8.0, the cas_client_config.yml fails to generate a new randomized secret, causing the CAS client to use a weak or static secret. This allows remote attackers to craft malicious cookies that bypass authentication and grant unauthorized console access.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 2.7.2= 2.0.0= 2.5.1= 2.5.2= 1.0.0= 1.1.0= 1.2.0= 2.5.0= 2.6.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Puppet Enterprise installationRun 'facter puppetenterprise' or check if /etc/puppetlabs directory exists. This vulnerability only affects Puppet Enterprise, not open-source Puppet.Affected if The system is running Puppet Enterprise (the vulnerability does not apply to open-source Puppet)
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Check Puppet Enterprise versionRun 'facter puppetenterprise_version' or check /opt/puppet/etc/version to determine the installed version.Affected if Version is <= 2.7.2, 2.0.0, 2.5.1, 2.5.2, or was upgraded from 1.2.x or 2.0.x to any version before 2.8.0
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Locate cas_client_config.ymlSearch for the file at /etc/puppetlabs/console-auth/cas_client_config.yml or /etc/puppetlabs/puppet/cas_client_config.yml.Affected if The file exists (this file is only present in Puppet Enterprise installations)
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Inspect the CAS client secretOpen cas_client_config.yml and examine the 'secret' or 'shared_secret' value under the cas: configuration section.Affected if The secret value is missing, empty, a default value, or appears to be a static/non-randomized string (a properly generated secret should be a long random alphanumeric string)
If running Puppet Enterprise that was upgraded from 1.2.x or 2.0.x to a version before 2.8.0, and the cas_client_config.yml contains a weak, static, or missing secret, the system is affected by this vulnerability.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade to Puppet Enterprise 2.8.0 or later, which properly generates a randomized secret during upgrades. Alternatively, manually regenerate the CAS client secret in the cas_client_config.yml file.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-2716 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-2716 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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