CVE-2012-4733 in Best Practical
Summary
by MITRE
Request Tracker (RT) 4.x before 4.0.13 does not properly enforce the DeleteTicket and "custom lifecycle transition" permission, which allows remote authenticated users with the ModifyTicket permission to delete tickets via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/07/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-4733 affects Request Tracker (RT) version 4.x prior to 4.0.13 and represents a significant authorization bypass flaw that undermines the security model of this widely used ticketing system. This issue specifically targets the permission enforcement mechanisms within RT, where the system fails to properly validate whether users possess the appropriate DeleteTicket and custom lifecycle transition permissions. The vulnerability exists in the authorization framework that governs user access to ticket operations, creating a scenario where users can escalate their privileges through unauthorized actions.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper validation of permission checks during ticket deletion operations. While legitimate users with ModifyTicket permission should be able to modify tickets, they should not be authorized to delete them without explicit DeleteTicket permission. However, the vulnerability allows authenticated users to exploit unspecified vectors that bypass these permission boundaries, effectively granting them deletion capabilities they should not possess. This represents a classic case of insufficient authorization checking where the system fails to properly enforce the principle of least privilege. The flaw operates at the application logic level, where the permission validation routines do not adequately verify that users possess the necessary clearance for destructive operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized ticket deletion, as it represents a fundamental breakdown in the access control model of the ticketing system. An attacker with ModifyTicket permission can leverage this vulnerability to remove critical support tickets, potentially destroying evidence of incidents, compromising audit trails, or disrupting service delivery workflows. This could lead to data loss, operational disruption, and potential compliance violations in environments where ticketing systems serve as critical components of incident management and service desk operations. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on RT for managing support tickets, service requests, and incident tracking, where unauthorized deletion of tickets could have serious consequences for service availability and security monitoring.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to RT version 4.0.13 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the permission enforcement issues. Additionally, security administrators should conduct comprehensive permission reviews to ensure that user roles are properly configured and that the principle of least privilege is maintained. Network segmentation and monitoring of ticketing system access can help detect unauthorized deletion attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control, and maps to attack techniques in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and defense evasion categories. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper permission validation in multi-user systems and highlights the need for regular security assessments of authorization mechanisms in enterprise applications.