CVE-2017-20028 in HumHub
Summary
by MITRE • 06/10/2022
A vulnerability was found in HumHub 0.20.1/1.0.0-beta.3. It has been classified as critical. This affects an unknown part. The manipulation leads to privilege escalation. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. Upgrading to version 1.0.0 is able to address this issue. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2022
This critical vulnerability in HumHub version 0.20.1 and 1.0.0-beta.3 represents a privilege escalation flaw that allows remote attackers to gain elevated system privileges. The vulnerability exists within an unknown component of the application's access control mechanisms, making it particularly dangerous as it operates at a fundamental level of the platform's security architecture. The flaw enables attackers to manipulate the system in a way that bypasses normal authentication and authorization controls, potentially allowing them to assume administrator or user-level privileges without proper credentials.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-269, which describes improper privilege management issues in software systems. Attackers can exploit this weakness remotely, eliminating the need for physical access or local network presence. This remote exploitation capability significantly increases the attack surface and potential impact, as malicious actors can target vulnerable installations from anywhere on the internet. The vulnerability's classification as critical indicates that it presents a severe risk to system integrity and data security.
The operational impact of this privilege escalation vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access. Once exploited, attackers could potentially modify user permissions, access sensitive data, manipulate system configurations, or even compromise the entire platform. This type of vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and can lead to complete system compromise. Organizations running affected versions face significant risk of data breaches, unauthorized modifications, and potential regulatory compliance violations.
Mitigation efforts should focus on immediate upgrade to version 1.0.0 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this privilege escalation vulnerability. System administrators should prioritize this update across all affected installations and verify that the upgrade was successful through proper testing procedures. Additionally, organizations should implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts, while conducting thorough security assessments to identify any potential compromise that may have occurred before the patch was applied. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the use of software vulnerabilities to gain elevated system access, making it a critical concern for defensive security operations.