CVE-2016-10740 in Atlassian Crowd
Summary
by MITRE
Various resources in Atlassian Crowd before version 2.10.1 allow remote attackers with administration rights to learn the passwords of configured LDAP directories by examining the responses to requests for these resources.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2020
This vulnerability exists in Atlassian Crowd versions prior to 2.10.1 where certain administrative resources expose sensitive information about configured LDAP directory passwords through response data. The flaw allows remote attackers who have already obtained administrative privileges to extract password credentials by analyzing the responses to specific requests made to these vulnerable resources. This represents a critical information disclosure vulnerability that undermines the security of directory integration configurations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of sensitive data within the Crowd administrative interface. When administrators make requests to specific resources related to LDAP directory configuration, the system inadvertently returns password information in the response payloads. This occurs due to insufficient input validation and output sanitization mechanisms that should have filtered out authentication credentials before returning data to authenticated users. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-209, which addresses information exposure through error messages, and CWE-312, covering sensitive data exposure in the context of incomplete data removal.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations relying on Atlassian Crowd for identity management and authentication services. Attackers with administrative access can extract LDAP directory passwords, potentially enabling them to gain unauthorized access to underlying directory services such as Active Directory or OpenLDAP. This compromises the entire authentication infrastructure and could lead to lateral movement within networks, privilege escalation, and unauthorized access to sensitive systems and data. The vulnerability essentially undermines the security model of Crowd's directory integration by exposing credentials that should remain protected.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to Atlassian Crowd version 2.10.1 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Additionally, administrators should review and implement proper access controls to limit administrative privileges to only essential personnel. Network segmentation and monitoring of administrative access patterns can help detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input/output handling and information disclosure prevention in enterprise authentication systems, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1552.001 for credentials from password stores and T1078 for valid accounts. Organizations should also conduct regular security assessments of their identity management infrastructure to identify similar information disclosure vulnerabilities that could compromise authentication systems.