CVE-2006-5932 in Kahua
Summary
by MITRE
Kahua before 0.7, when running multiple applications under a single supervisor, grants application access on the basis of username instead of username and database name, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain unauthorized access if different databases assign the same username to different user accounts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/27/2026
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-5932 represents a critical authentication flaw in the Kahua application framework version 0.7 and earlier. This issue manifests when multiple applications operate under a single supervisor environment, creating a scenario where the system fails to properly distinguish between user accounts across different database instances. The fundamental problem lies in the authentication mechanism's reliance solely on username credentials without incorporating database context, effectively creating a cross-database privilege escalation vector. This design flaw directly violates the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a significant weakness in the system's access control implementation.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper database context validation during the authentication process. When users authenticate to applications within the Kahua framework, the system only verifies the username against the local database without considering which specific database instance the user is attempting to access. This oversight creates a scenario where an authenticated user from one database can potentially access resources in another database if both databases contain user accounts with identical usernames. The vulnerability operates at the application level authentication layer, making it particularly dangerous as it bypasses traditional database security boundaries and can be exploited remotely by authenticated users who understand the system's multi-database architecture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, creating potential data integrity and confidentiality risks across multiple database instances. An attacker who gains access to one database through legitimate authentication can leverage this flaw to traverse into other databases, potentially accessing sensitive information, modifying data, or executing unauthorized operations. This vulnerability particularly affects environments where multiple applications share a common supervisor but maintain separate database instances, which is common in enterprise deployments where different departments or business units require isolated data environments while sharing infrastructure resources. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers do not need physical access to the system, as long as they can authenticate to any of the applications within the supervisor framework.
Organizations implementing Kahua frameworks should consider immediate mitigation strategies including upgrading to version 0.7 or later, which presumably addresses this authentication context issue. Additional defensive measures include implementing stricter access controls within the supervisor environment, ensuring that database instances maintain distinct user namespaces, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of multi-database application architectures. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting. Organizations should also review their application deployment models to minimize the risk of cross-database authentication bypasses, particularly in shared infrastructure environments where multiple applications operate under centralized supervisors.