CVE-2013-3370 in Best Practical
Summary
by MITRE
Request Tracker (RT) 3.8.x before 3.8.17 and 4.0.x before 4.0.13 does not properly restrict access to private callback components, which allows remote attackers to have an unspecified impact via a direct request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/07/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-3370 affects Request Tracker (RT) versions 3.8.x prior to 3.8.17 and 4.0.x prior to 4.0.13, representing a critical access control flaw that compromises the security of private callback components within the application. This issue stems from inadequate authorization mechanisms that fail to properly validate user privileges before granting access to sensitive backend functionality. The vulnerability specifically targets the callback system within RT, which serves as a mechanism for external systems to communicate with the application through automated processes. These callback components are designed to handle incoming requests from trusted partners or integrated services, but the flaw allows unauthenticated or unauthorized users to bypass normal access controls and directly invoke these components.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a failure in the application's authentication and authorization framework where the system does not adequately verify that incoming requests originate from legitimate sources or possess appropriate privileges to access specific callback endpoints. This weakness creates an attack surface where remote adversaries can exploit the lack of proper access restriction to gain unauthorized access to private callback functionality. The unspecified impact mentioned in the description suggests that the vulnerability could potentially enable various malicious activities including data exfiltration, system compromise, or unauthorized administrative actions depending on the specific callback components that are accessible. The flaw demonstrates a classic authorization bypass vulnerability where the system fails to enforce proper access controls at the component level, allowing unauthorized users to execute functions they should not be permitted to access.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations relying on RT for ticket management and collaboration systems. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enable full system compromise if the callback components provide administrative or sensitive data access capabilities. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to manipulate ticket workflows, access confidential information, or even escalate privileges within the system. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries do not require physical access or prior authentication to exploit the vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous for organizations with internet-facing RT installations. The vulnerability also represents a failure in the principle of least privilege, where the system does not properly enforce access restrictions that should limit component access to authorized users only.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to RT versions 3.8.17 or 4.0.13, which contain the necessary patches to address the access control flaw. Additional protective measures should include network segmentation to limit access to RT systems, implementing additional authentication layers for callback endpoints, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which describes improper authorization issues, and corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for malicious file execution, highlighting the multi-faceted nature of the threat. Security teams should conduct thorough audits of their RT installations to identify any custom callback implementations that might be vulnerable, and implement proper logging and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. The remediation process should also include reviewing and strengthening access control policies to prevent similar issues in other components of the application stack.