CVE-2018-1245 in RSA Identity Lifecycle
Summary
by MITRE
RSA Identity Lifecycle and Governance versions 7.0.1, 7.0.2 and 7.1.0 contains an authorization bypass vulnerability within the workflow architect component (ACM). A remote authenticated malicious user with non-admin privileges could potentially bypass the Java Security Policies. Once bypassed, a malicious user could potentially run arbitrary system commands at the OS level with application owner privileges on the affected system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/09/2023
The RSA Identity Lifecycle and Governance platform version 7.0.1, 7.0.2, and 7.1.0 contains a critical authorization bypass vulnerability that resides within the workflow architect component known as ACM. This vulnerability represents a significant security flaw that allows authenticated attackers to circumvent the established Java Security Policies that are designed to protect the system from unauthorized access and execution. The vulnerability stems from insufficient authorization controls within the workflow processing mechanism, creating a pathway for malicious actors to escalate their privileges beyond what should be permitted for their current access level.
The technical flaw manifests as an inadequate validation of user permissions within the ACM component, where the system fails to properly enforce access controls when processing workflow requests. This weakness enables a remote authenticated user who possesses standard user privileges but lacks administrative rights to exploit the system's authorization framework. The vulnerability specifically targets the Java Security Manager implementation, which is responsible for enforcing security policies and restricting potentially dangerous operations within the application environment. When successfully exploited, the authorization bypass allows attackers to execute arbitrary system commands at the operating system level with the privileges of the application owner, which typically represents the highest level of access available to the application within the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it provides attackers with the ability to gain complete control over the affected system. Once the authorization bypass is achieved, malicious users can execute arbitrary commands with elevated privileges, potentially leading to data exfiltration, system compromise, or further lateral movement within the network. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on RSA Identity Lifecycle and Governance for identity management and access control, creating a significant risk for enterprises where privileged access to user lifecycle management processes could be leveraged for broader system infiltration. The impact extends beyond immediate system compromise to potentially affect the integrity and confidentiality of identity data, user accounts, and access control policies managed by the platform.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates that address the authorization bypass vulnerability within the ACM component. System administrators should also review and tighten access controls, implement additional monitoring for suspicious workflow processing activities, and consider network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues, and represents a significant concern under the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques where attackers seek to gain higher-level permissions within systems. Organizations must also conduct thorough security assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and ensure that proper security monitoring is in place to detect unauthorized command execution within the affected environment.