CVE-2017-18105 in Atlassian Crowd
Summary
by MITRE
The console login resource in Atlassian Crowd before version 3.0.2 and from version 3.1.0 before version 3.1.1 allows remote attackers, who have previously obtained a user's JSESSIONID cookie, to gain access to some of the built-in and potentially third party rest resources via a session fixation vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/17/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-18105 represents a critical session fixation flaw within Atlassian Crowd's console login mechanism. This security weakness affects versions prior to 3.0.2 and specifically targets the period from version 3.1.0 through 3.1.0, creating a window of exposure where authenticated sessions could be exploited. The vulnerability stems from the improper handling of session identifiers during the authentication process, allowing attackers to leverage previously obtained JSESSIONID cookies to access protected REST resources within the application's administrative interface.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves the session fixation attack vector where an attacker who has already compromised a user's session cookie can reuse that identifier to establish unauthorized access to Crowd's console resources. This occurs because the application does not properly invalidate or regenerate session identifiers upon successful authentication, enabling the reuse of existing session tokens that may have been obtained through various means such as cross-site scripting attacks, man-in-the-middle interception, or other session hijacking techniques. The vulnerability specifically impacts the console login resource, which serves as the primary administrative interface for Crowd's user management and authentication services.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to administrative functions. Attackers can potentially manipulate user accounts, modify authentication settings, and access sensitive configuration data through the REST endpoints that are protected by the flawed session management. This creates a significant risk for organizations relying on Crowd for identity management, as successful exploitation could lead to complete compromise of the authentication infrastructure. The vulnerability affects not only built-in Crowd resources but also potentially third-party REST resources that may be integrated into the platform, amplifying the attack surface and potential damage. According to CWE classification, this represents a weakness in session management where session identifiers are not properly regenerated after authentication, specifically categorized under CWE-384.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Crowd installations to versions 3.0.2 or 3.1.1 and later, which contain the necessary session fixation protections. Organizations should implement comprehensive session management policies that enforce session regeneration upon successful authentication, ensuring that any previously compromised session tokens become invalid. Network security controls including web application firewalls and session monitoring tools should be deployed to detect and prevent unauthorized session reuse attempts. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their Crowd implementations to identify any other potential session management vulnerabilities and ensure proper cookie security attributes are configured including secure, httponly, and same-site flags. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation and credential access tactics, emphasizing the need for layered defensive measures to protect against session-based attacks that could lead to persistent unauthorized access to critical infrastructure.