CVE-2015-2204 in Evergreen
Summary
by MITRE
Evergreen before 2.5.9, 2.6.x before 2.6.7, and 2.7.x before 2.7.4 allows remote attackers to bypass an intended access restriction and obtain sensitive information about org unit settings by leveraging failure of open-ils.actor.ou_setting.ancestor_default to enforce view_perm when no auth token is provided.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-2204 affects the Evergreen ILS (Integrated Library System) software across multiple version ranges including versions prior to 2.5.9, 2.6.x versions before 2.6.7, and 2.7.x versions before 2.7.4. This represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the security model of the system by allowing unauthorized remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions. The vulnerability specifically targets the open-ils.actor.ou_setting.ancestor_default functionality which is designed to manage organizational unit settings within the library management system. When no authentication token is provided, the system fails to properly enforce view_perm permissions, creating a significant security gap that exposes sensitive organizational configuration data to unauthorized users.
The technical flaw stems from improper authorization enforcement within the actor module of the Evergreen system. The open-ils.actor.ou_setting.ancestor_default function is responsible for retrieving organizational unit settings while traversing the organizational hierarchy, but it fails to validate permissions when no authentication token is present. This creates a scenario where attackers can craft requests that bypass normal access controls and retrieve information about organizational unit configurations that should be restricted to authorized personnel only. The vulnerability essentially allows for information disclosure through a path traversal mechanism that should have been protected by proper authentication and authorization checks, making it particularly dangerous for library systems that handle sensitive institutional data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially compromise the entire organizational structure of library management systems. Attackers who exploit this vulnerability can obtain detailed information about organizational unit settings, which may include hierarchical structures, permission configurations, and other sensitive administrative data. This information could be leveraged by threat actors to plan more sophisticated attacks or to understand the internal structure of the library system for further exploitation. The vulnerability affects remote attackers, meaning that exploitation can occur from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the system, making it particularly concerning for organizations that expose their library management systems to public networks.
Organizations using affected versions of Evergreen should immediately implement mitigations to address this vulnerability. The primary recommendation is to upgrade to patched versions of the software, specifically versions 2.5.9, 2.6.7, or 2.7.4 and later, which contain the necessary fixes for the authorization enforcement issue. Network-level protections such as firewalls and access control lists should be implemented to restrict access to the vulnerable system components, particularly those related to actor module functionality. Additionally, organizations should review their current access control policies and ensure that proper authentication mechanisms are enforced before allowing any access to organizational unit settings. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control issues, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1087.001 (Account Discovery) and T1068 (Local Privilege Escalation) as it enables unauthorized access to sensitive system information that could facilitate further compromise of the environment.