CVE-2008-7282 in OTRS
Summary
by MITRE
Kernel/Output/HTML/CustomerNewTicketQueueSelectionGeneric.pm in Open Ticket Request System (OTRS) before 2.2.6, when the CustomerPanelOwnSelection and CustomerGroupSupport options are enabled, allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions, and perform certain (1) list and (2) write operations on queues, via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/19/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-7282 affects the Open Ticket Request System (OTRS) version 2.2.5 and earlier, representing a critical access control flaw that undermines the security model of the application. This issue resides within the kernel/output/html/customernewticketqueueselectiongeneric.pm component, which handles queue selection functionality for customer-facing interfaces. The vulnerability specifically manifests when two configuration options are enabled: CustomerPanelOwnSelection and CustomerGroupSupport, creating a scenario where authenticated users can circumvent intended access restrictions that should limit their ability to interact with specific queues within the ticketing system.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient input validation and authorization checks within the queue selection mechanism. When these two options are active, the system fails to properly verify whether authenticated users have legitimate permissions to perform list and write operations on queues they should not be authorized to access. This represents a classic privilege escalation vulnerability that allows attackers to gain unauthorized access to queue operations that should be restricted based on user roles, group memberships, or other authorization criteria. The unspecified vectors suggest that the flaw could be exploited through various pathways within the customer interface, potentially including direct API calls or manipulation of session parameters.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables remote authenticated users to perform unauthorized actions on ticket queues that could contain sensitive customer information, business-critical support tickets, or queues designated for specific user groups. An attacker could potentially enumerate all available queues, access tickets in restricted queues, modify ticket attributes, or even create tickets in queues they should not have access to. This compromises the integrity and confidentiality of the ticketing system, potentially leading to data leakage, unauthorized ticket manipulation, and disruption of support workflows that depend on proper queue access controls. The vulnerability essentially undermines the core security model of OTRS by allowing users to bypass the intended access control mechanisms that separate different user roles and group permissions.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers valid accounts with compromised credentials. The flaw represents a failure in the principle of least privilege, where users are granted more access than they should legitimately possess. Organizations using OTRS should implement immediate mitigations including updating to version 2.2.6 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the authorization bypass. Additionally, administrators should review and restrict the CustomerPanelOwnSelection and CustomerGroupSupport configuration options where possible, ensuring that only trusted users have access to these features. Network segmentation and monitoring of ticketing system access patterns can also help detect potential exploitation attempts, while regular security assessments should verify that access controls function as intended. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and authorization checking in web applications, particularly those handling sensitive customer data and business-critical support workflows.