CVE-2015-5304 in JBoss Enterprise Application Platform
Summary
by MITRE
Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) before 6.4.5 does not properly authorize access to shut down the server, which allows remote authenticated users with the Monitor, Deployer, or Auditor role to cause a denial of service via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/28/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-5304 affects Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform versions prior to 6.4.5, representing a critical authorization flaw that undermines the platform's security posture. This issue stems from insufficient access controls within the server management interfaces, specifically concerning the shutdown functionality. The flaw exists in the way the application platform handles role-based permissions for administrative operations, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit legitimate user accounts with specific roles to disrupt service availability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through the improper validation of user privileges when attempting server shutdown operations. Attackers with valid credentials and one of three designated roles - Monitor, Deployer, or Auditor - can leverage their authenticated status to execute denial of service attacks against the target system. These roles typically have limited administrative capabilities, yet the flaw allows them to escalate their privileges implicitly through the shutdown mechanism. The unspecified vectors suggest that multiple attack paths exist within the platform's management interfaces, potentially involving various API endpoints or management console functionalities that should have required higher privilege levels.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant threat to business continuity and system availability. The ability to remotely shut down a production application server through legitimate administrative roles creates a severe risk for organizations relying on JBoss EAP for critical business applications. The denial of service condition can result in complete application unavailability, financial losses, service interruptions, and potential data access issues. Organizations may experience extended downtime while addressing the compromise, particularly if the attack occurs during peak business hours or critical operational periods.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with privilege escalation attacks in enterprise application platforms. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the privilege escalation and denial of service tactics, where adversaries leverage existing authenticated sessions to gain elevated capabilities. The attack vector involves exploiting the platform's role-based access control system to perform unauthorized administrative functions, representing a classic example of how insufficient authorization checks can lead to critical system compromise. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor patch to version 6.4.5 or higher, reviewing and restricting the Monitor, Deployer, and Auditor roles, and implementing additional network segmentation controls to limit access to management interfaces. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper principle of least privilege implementation and regular security assessments of enterprise application platforms to identify and remediate similar authorization flaws.