CVE-2012-2735 in Cumin
Summary
by MITRE
Session fixation vulnerability in Cumin before 0.1.5444, as used in Red Hat Enterprise Messaging, Realtime, and Grid (MRG) 2.0, allows remote attackers to hijack web sessions via a crafted session cookie.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/14/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-2735 represents a critical session fixation flaw affecting the Cumin framework version prior to 0.1.5444, which was integrated into Red Hat Enterprise Messaging, Realtime, and Grid (MRG) 2.0 platforms. This vulnerability operates at the web application level and specifically targets the session management mechanisms that govern user authentication and authorization within these enterprise messaging systems. The flaw enables malicious actors to exploit the session handling process by manipulating session identifiers, thereby compromising the integrity of user sessions and potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive messaging services.
The technical implementation of this session fixation vulnerability stems from inadequate session management practices within the Cumin framework where session identifiers are not properly regenerated upon successful authentication. When a user authenticates to a system utilizing affected Cumin versions, the application fails to invalidate the existing session and establish a new unique session identifier. This creates a scenario where an attacker can obtain a valid session token and subsequently reuse it to impersonate legitimate users. The vulnerability manifests through crafted session cookies that contain predictable or static session identifiers, allowing attackers to maintain persistent access to user sessions across different authentication events.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass potential data breaches, service disruption, and compromise of enterprise communication channels. Organizations utilizing Red Hat MRG 2.0 platforms were particularly at risk as these systems handle critical messaging and real-time communication functions. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to monitor, modify, or redirect messages within the messaging infrastructure, potentially affecting business continuity and security operations. The vulnerability also aligns with CWE-384, which specifically addresses session fixation issues in web applications, and represents a fundamental weakness in the authentication and session management protocols that govern user access to enterprise systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-2735 require immediate implementation of proper session management practices including mandatory session regeneration upon successful authentication, implementation of secure session cookie attributes such as HttpOnly and Secure flags, and deployment of robust session timeout mechanisms. Organizations should upgrade to Cumin version 0.1.5444 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the session fixation vulnerability. Additionally, security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual session behavior patterns, and network segmentation should be implemented to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. The remediation efforts should align with ATT&CK framework techniques related to credential access and privilege escalation, as this vulnerability provides attackers with a method to maintain persistent access to authenticated sessions and potentially escalate their privileges within the affected systems.