CVE-2023-4956 identifies a clickjacking vulnerability in Red Hat Quay 3, specifically affecting the config-editor page. Clickjacking exploits involve an attacker layering transparent or opaque frames over legitimate UI elements to trick users into clicking unintended buttons or links. In this case, an attacker can deceive an administrator into interacting with the config-editor panel, potentially causing unauthorized reconfiguration of the Quay instance. Red Hat Quay is a container image registry widely used for managing container images in enterprise environments. The vulnerability does not allow direct access to confidential data or integrity modification of data but can impact availability by misconfiguring the system. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H) indicates that the attack can be performed remotely over the network without privileges but requires user interaction, and the impact is primarily on availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the vulnerability was discovered during penetration testing. The config-editor page lacks proper restrictions on rendered UI layers or frames, allowing the clickjacking attack to succeed. This flaw can be mitigated by implementing X-Frame-Options or Content Security Policy frame-ancestors directives to prevent framing, and by educating users about the risks of interacting with suspicious embedded content.

For European organizations, the vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the availability and operational integrity of container image registries managed via Red Hat Quay 3. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized changes in configuration, potentially disrupting container deployment pipelines and impacting business-critical applications relying on containerized infrastructure. This disruption could cause downtime or degraded service availability, affecting sectors heavily dependent on container orchestration such as finance, telecommunications, and manufacturing. Since the vulnerability requires user interaction from an administrator, the risk is somewhat mitigated by proper user training and operational controls. However, given the widespread adoption of container technologies in Europe and the critical role of container registries, the threat should be taken seriously. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the potential for future attacks.

1. Implement HTTP response headers such as X-Frame-Options set to DENY or SAMEORIGIN to prevent the Quay config-editor page from being framed by malicious sites. 2. Use Content Security Policy (CSP) with the frame-ancestors directive to restrict which domains can embed the Quay interface. 3. Educate administrators to avoid clicking on suspicious links or interacting with embedded content from untrusted sources. 4. Monitor and audit configuration changes to detect unauthorized modifications promptly. 5. Apply any available patches or updates from Red Hat as soon as they are released. 6. Consider isolating administrative interfaces behind VPNs or internal networks to reduce exposure. 7. Employ browser security features and extensions that can block clickjacking attempts. 8. Conduct regular security awareness training focused on social engineering and UI redress attacks.