CVE-2012-2315 in OpenKM
Summary
by MITRE
admin/Auth in OpenKM 5.1.7 and other versions before 5.1.8-2 does not properly enforce privileges for changing user roles, which allows remote authenticated users to assign administrator privileges to arbitrary users via the userEdit action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-2315 affects OpenKM version 5.1.7 and earlier releases, specifically targeting the administrative authentication mechanism within the system. This flaw resides in the privilege enforcement logic of the admin/Auth component, which governs user role management and access control. The vulnerability represents a critical authorization bypass issue that undermines the fundamental security model of the platform by allowing authenticated users to escalate their privileges without proper authorization checks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and privilege verification within the userEdit action handler. When authenticated users submit requests to modify user roles through the administrative interface, the system fails to properly validate whether the requesting user possesses sufficient privileges to perform such operations. This weakness creates a path for malicious actors to manipulate the role assignment process and grant administrative rights to accounts they control. The flaw operates at the application level where access control decisions are made, making it particularly dangerous as it bypasses the normal authentication and authorization workflows.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables remote authenticated attackers to gain full administrative control over the OpenKM system. An attacker with a valid user account can exploit this flaw to elevate their privileges and assume complete administrative responsibilities, including access to all system resources, user management capabilities, and potentially sensitive data. This privilege escalation capability transforms a regular user account into a system administrator account, effectively compromising the entire platform. The impact extends beyond individual account compromise as administrators can manipulate user permissions, access confidential documents, and potentially introduce additional vulnerabilities through unauthorized system modifications.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and represents a classic case of privilege escalation through insufficient access control validation. From the MITRE ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques where attackers leverage application-level flaws to gain elevated system permissions. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it requires only authenticated access, meaning that an attacker who has obtained legitimate credentials can exploit this vulnerability without requiring additional attack vectors. Organizations using affected versions of OpenKM should immediately implement security patches to address this flaw, as the vulnerability can be exploited remotely and does not require complex attack chains or additional reconnaissance. The fix typically involves implementing proper privilege checks within the userEdit action handler to ensure that only users with appropriate administrative credentials can modify user roles and assign elevated privileges.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper access control implementation in enterprise content management systems where administrative privileges can have far-reaching consequences. The flaw underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of authentication and authorization mechanisms, particularly in applications handling sensitive enterprise data. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their content management systems to identify similar privilege escalation vulnerabilities that could compromise their information security posture. The remediation process should include not only applying the vendor-provided patch but also implementing additional monitoring and logging of administrative activities to detect potential exploitation attempts.