CVE-2007-5085 in Geronimo
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the management EJB (MEJB) in Apache Geronimo before 2.0.2 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and obtain "access to Geronimo internals" via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-5085 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw within the management EJB component of Apache Geronimo application server. This issue affects versions prior to 2.0.2 and exposes the system to unauthorized access through unspecified attack vectors that permit remote exploitation. The management EJB serves as a critical interface for administrative operations within the Geronimo framework, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it grants attackers access to internal system components that should remain protected from external interference. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple pathways may exist for exploitation, complicating the development of targeted defensive measures and increasing the potential attack surface for malicious actors.
The technical flaw resides within the authentication mechanisms of the management EJB component, which fails to properly validate user credentials or enforce access controls when processing remote requests. This weakness allows unauthorized users to escalate their privileges and gain access to administrative functions that should be restricted to authenticated administrators only. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and leverages the inherent trust placed in the EJB management interface, where proper authentication checks are either missing or inadequately implemented. From a cybersecurity perspective, this represents a failure in the principle of least privilege and demonstrates inadequate separation of concerns within the application's security architecture. The flaw aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues in software systems, and can be categorized under the broader ATT&CK technique of T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for phishing attacks that may exploit such authentication bypasses.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it provides attackers with the ability to manipulate internal Geronimo components and potentially execute arbitrary code within the application server environment. Remote attackers can leverage this weakness to perform administrative functions such as deploying new applications, modifying system configurations, accessing sensitive data, or even escalating their privileges to full system control. The implications are severe given that Geronimo serves as an application server platform where multiple applications and services may be hosted, making this vulnerability a potential gateway for broader system compromise. Organizations running affected versions of Apache Geronimo face significant risk of data breaches, service disruption, and potential regulatory compliance violations, particularly in environments where the application server handles sensitive business or personal information.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-5085 focus primarily on upgrading to Apache Geronimo version 2.0.2 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the authentication bypass vulnerability. System administrators should also implement network segmentation and access control measures to limit exposure of the management EJB interface to trusted networks only. Additional defensive measures include disabling unnecessary EJB interfaces, implementing strong network firewalls, and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities. The remediation process should include thorough testing of the patched environment to ensure that legitimate administrative functions remain operational while the authentication bypass vulnerability is eliminated. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual access patterns or unauthorized attempts to interact with the management interfaces, as this vulnerability may be exploited as part of broader attack campaigns targeting enterprise application servers. Organizations should also review their overall application server security posture and implement comprehensive security policies that address authentication, authorization, and access control mechanisms across all deployed platforms.