Executive Summary

The vulnerability exists in the OpenTelemetry.Exporter.Instana NuGet package versions prior to 1.1.0. When a proxy is configured using the INSTANA_ENDPOINT_PROXY environment variable, the package does not validate the HTTPS/TLS certificates of the proxy connection. This means that if an attacker can perform a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack on the proxy connection, they can intercept all telemetry data sent to the Instana backend, including the Instana API key.

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Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability allows a network attacker to intercept sensitive telemetry data and the Instana API key by performing a Man-in-the-Middle attack on the proxy connection. This exposure can lead to unauthorized access to telemetry information and potentially allow the attacker to misuse the Instana API key, compromising the security and integrity of your telemetry data.

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, upgrade the OpenTelemetry.Exporter.Instana NuGet package to version 1.1.0 or later, where the issue with HTTPS/TLS certificate validation when using a proxy is fixed.

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Compliance Impact

This vulnerability allows a network attacker to perform a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack on the proxy connection, exposing all OpenTelemetry telemetry data and the Instana API key to the attacker.

Exposure of telemetry data and API keys could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, which may impact compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA that require protection of personal and sensitive data.

However, specific impacts on compliance with these standards are not detailed in the provided information.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability can be detected by checking if the OpenTelemetry.Exporter.Instana NuGet package version in use is 1.0.7 or earlier and if the INSTANA_ENDPOINT_PROXY environment variable is configured. Since the vulnerability involves bypassing TLS certificate validation when sending telemetry data through a proxy, monitoring network traffic for unvalidated TLS connections to the Instana backend via the proxy can help identify potential exposure.

Suggested commands to detect this vulnerability include:

• Check the installed package version (for example, in a .NET project): dotnet list package | grep OpenTelemetry.Exporter.Instana
• Check if the INSTANA_ENDPOINT_PROXY environment variable is set: echo $INSTANA_ENDPOINT_PROXY
• Monitor network traffic to detect unvalidated TLS connections or potential Man-in-the-Middle activity, for example using tcpdump or Wireshark: sudo tcpdump -i any host <proxy_ip_or_hostname> and port 443
• Inspect application logs or enable verbose logging to detect any TLS validation bypass or proxy usage.

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