Impact

When the Contrast initializer is configured with a CONTRAST_LOG_LEVEL of info or debug, the workload secret is logged to stderr and written to Kubernetes logs.

Since info is the default setting, this affects all Contrast installations that don't customize their initializers' log level.

The following audiences are intended to have access to workload secrets (see https://docs.edgeless.systems/contrast/1.7/architecture/secrets#workload-secrets):

• Contrast Coordinator (can derive all workload secrets)
• Contrast Initializer (obtains only the secret configured in the manifest)
• Seedshare owner (can derive all workload secrets)
• Workload owner (can update manifests to obtain secrets)

This vulnerability allows the following parties unintended access to workload secrets issued by a Coordinator:

• Kubernetes users with get or list permission on pods/logs.
• Others with read access to the Kubernetes log storage (most notably, the cloud provider).

This vulnerability does not affect scenarios where workload secrets are not used by the application (directly or with secure persistence). Applications designed for workload owner exclusion can't use workload secrets and are thus unaffected.

Patches

N/A

Workarounds

This vulnerability can be mitigated by adding an environment variable CONTRAST_LOG_LEVEL=warn to the initializer after running contrast generate, and then running contrast generate again.

References

N/A

References

• GHSA-h5f8-crrq-4pw8