CVE-2019-0875 in Azure DevOps Server
Summary
by MITRE
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when Azure DevOps Server 2019 does not properly enforce project permissions, aka 'Azure DevOps Server Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability'.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/28/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-0875 represents a critical elevation of privilege flaw within Azure DevOps Server 2019 that undermines the system's access control mechanisms. This weakness allows unauthorized users to escalate their privileges and gain access to resources they should not be permitted to access, fundamentally compromising the security posture of organizations relying on this platform for their software development lifecycle management. The issue stems from insufficient enforcement of project-level permissions, creating a pathway for malicious actors to bypass established security controls.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper implementation of access control checks within the Azure DevOps Server 2019 framework. Specifically, the system fails to adequately validate user permissions when performing certain operations within project contexts, allowing users with limited access rights to execute actions that should be restricted to administrators or users with higher privileges. This flaw typically manifests when users can manipulate project settings, access sensitive repositories, or perform administrative functions without proper authorization. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and affects the authentication and authorization mechanisms that are fundamental to protecting organizational data and development assets.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-0875 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, potentially enabling data breaches, code manipulation, and compromise of development environments. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could gain access to source code repositories, build artifacts, deployment configurations, and other sensitive project data that should remain protected. Organizations using Azure DevOps Server 2019 may experience significant security incidents including intellectual property theft, unauthorized code changes, and potential disruption of development workflows. The vulnerability also poses risks to compliance requirements and regulatory standards that mandate proper access controls for sensitive development environments.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the official Microsoft security patches and updates released to address this vulnerability. System administrators must conduct thorough access control reviews to identify and remediate any existing unauthorized access that may have occurred. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious activities related to project access and privilege escalation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which describes improper access control, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and privilege escalation. Regular security assessments and access control audits should be implemented to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in the future. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing multi-factor authentication and least-privilege access principles to reduce the potential impact of such security flaws.