CVE-2015-1498 in Radia Client Automation
Summary
by MITRE
Persistent Systems Radia Client Automation does not properly restrict access to certain request, which allows remote attackers to (1) enumerate user accounts via a getUsers request, (2) assign a role to a user account via a addAssigneesToRole request, (3) remove a role from a user account via a removeAssigneesFromRole request, or other unspecified impact.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/13/2018
The CVE-2015-1498 vulnerability affects Persistent Systems Radia Client Automation, a software solution designed for enterprise client management and automation. This critical access control flaw stems from inadequate authorization checks within the system's web services interface, creating a pathway for unauthenticated remote attackers to manipulate user accounts and roles. The vulnerability specifically targets three core functions that govern user access control within the automation platform, fundamentally undermining the system's security model. The affected service operates through web service endpoints that fail to properly validate user credentials or permissions before executing sensitive operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves three distinct attack vectors that collectively enable privilege escalation and account manipulation. The getUsers request allows attackers to enumerate valid user accounts within the system, providing them with a comprehensive list of potential targets for further exploitation. The addAssigneesToRole request enables attackers to assign administrative or elevated privileges to arbitrary user accounts, effectively granting them unauthorized access to restricted system functions. The removeAssigneesFromRole request permits attackers to strip privileges from legitimate users, potentially disabling legitimate administrative access or creating access control confusion. These operations are executed without proper authentication verification, making the entire user management system vulnerable to manipulation.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates severe implications for enterprise security infrastructure. Attackers can leverage this weakness to establish persistent access within the automation environment, potentially gaining control over critical client management operations. The enumeration capability allows for reconnaissance of valid accounts, enabling targeted attacks against specific user identities. The role assignment functionality can be exploited to elevate privileges for attacker-controlled accounts, while the role removal feature can be used to disable legitimate administrative access or create confusion in the access control system. The unspecified impact category suggests additional attack vectors or consequences that may not have been fully documented, indicating potential for more severe exploitation scenarios. Organizations relying on Radia Client Automation face significant risk of unauthorized system access, data compromise, and potential lateral movement within their network infrastructure.
Security professionals should address this vulnerability through immediate patch deployment from Persistent Systems, as recommended by the vendor's security advisories. Network segmentation and access control measures should be implemented to limit exposure of the vulnerable web service endpoints to trusted networks only. Monitoring and logging should be enhanced to detect unauthorized access attempts to user management functions, particularly focusing on the three identified vulnerable requests. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization in software systems, and corresponds to attack techniques in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and credential access categories. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments to identify any unauthorized modifications to user accounts or roles that may have occurred during the vulnerability's existence, while also implementing robust authentication mechanisms and regular security audits to prevent similar issues in other enterprise automation systems.