Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This issue can leave a legacy Red Hat OpenShift 1 host with a default SSH public key trusted for root access. If the matching private key is known or obtainable, an attacker could make unauthorized administrative changes. The cited sources do not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Prioritize discovery and cleanup if any OpenShift 1 systems remain in service. The risk is concentrated in obsolete, unsupported infrastructure, but root-level trust created by default keys warrants prompt validation.
Technical view
CVE-2013-4253 affects the unsupported OpenShift Extras add-on deployment script for Red Hat OpenShift 1. The script installs a default public key into root's authorized_keys, creating an unintended trust path with high integrity impact. No patch, exploit activity, or KEV listing is provided in the source bundle.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in legacy Red Hat OpenShift 1 environments that used the unsupported OpenShift Extras deployment scripts. Modern OpenShift deployments are not identified as affected by the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The vulnerability is network-reachable in principle because SSH trust is created for root, but exploitation depends on possession or discovery of the corresponding private key and reachable SSH access. KEV is false, and the provided sources do not claim observed exploitation.
Researcher notes
Evidence is narrow but clear: the vulnerable behavior is installation of a default public key for root by an unsupported add-on script. The bundle does not identify affected CPEs, fixed versions, exploit code, or active campaigns.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory legacy OpenShift 1 systems and determine whether OpenShift Extras deployment scripts were used.
- Remove any default public key found in root authorized_keys after confirming operational ownership.
- Rotate affected administrative SSH keys and review privileged access paths.
- Disable direct root SSH login where business operations allow it.
- Consult Red Hat or archival vendor guidance for legacy remediation details.
Validation and detection
- Check whether any OpenShift Extras deployment script was run on legacy hosts.
- Review root authorized_keys for entries introduced by the unsupported deployment script.
- Review SSH authentication logs for unexpected root access on affected hosts.
- Confirm compensating controls restrict administrative SSH access to trusted networks.
- Document whether the system is unsupported, retired, isolated, or remediated.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-377: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2013-4253 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N3.93.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.5HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Source materials
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Insecure Temporary File
Insecure Temporary File represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.