CVE-2019-10885 in Workspace Control
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Ivanti Workspace Control before 10.3.90.0. Local authenticated users with low privileges in a Workspace Control managed session can bypass Workspace Control security features configured for this session by resetting the session context.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/03/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-10885 affects Ivanti Workspace Control versions prior to 10.3.90.0, representing a significant security flaw that undermines the integrity of session management within the workspace control environment. This issue specifically targets the authentication and authorization mechanisms that govern user access to controlled sessions, creating a pathway for privilege escalation through session manipulation. The vulnerability resides in the session context handling logic where proper validation and enforcement of security policies fail to occur during session reset operations. This flaw allows authenticated users who possess minimal privileges to circumvent the security controls that should be actively enforced within their managed sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate session state management and insufficient validation of session reset requests. When a user with low privileges attempts to reset the session context, the system fails to properly verify that such an operation maintains the established security boundaries and policy enforcement mechanisms. This represents a failure in the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a critical weakness in access control enforcement. The session reset functionality, which should serve as a controlled mechanism for session cleanup or reinitialization, becomes a vector for bypassing security controls that are specifically configured to restrict user behavior within the managed session environment.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to organizations relying on Ivanti Workspace Control for session management and security enforcement. Low-privilege users can potentially access restricted resources, execute unauthorized actions, or circumvent monitoring and control mechanisms that are designed to prevent such activities. The impact extends beyond simple access bypass, as it undermines the fundamental security model of the workspace control system and could enable further exploitation through chained vulnerabilities or privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in environments where Workspace Control is used to enforce strict access controls, application restrictions, or data protection policies, as it allows malicious or compromised users to undermine these protections.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by upgrading to Ivanti Workspace Control version 10.3.90.0 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. Additional mitigations include implementing network segmentation to limit access to Workspace Control management interfaces, enforcing strict access controls on session reset functionality, and monitoring for unauthorized session reset operations. Security teams should also conduct thorough assessments of their existing Workspace Control configurations to identify potential exploitation vectors and ensure that appropriate monitoring and alerting mechanisms are in place. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and represents a clear violation of the ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts, as it allows unauthorized behavior through legitimate user access. Organizations should also consider implementing additional controls such as privileged access management solutions and enhanced session monitoring to reduce the attack surface and detect potential exploitation attempts.