CVE-2019-16245 in OMERO
Summary
by MITRE
OMERO before 5.6.1 makes the details of each user available to all users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/24/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-16245 affects OMERO versions prior to 5.6.1, representing a critical access control flaw that undermines the fundamental security principles of user isolation and data confidentiality. OMERO, an open-source software platform for managing and analyzing scientific image data, implements a multi-user environment where researchers and scientists collaborate on shared datasets while maintaining individual privacy and access controls. This particular vulnerability creates a scenario where the system fails to properly enforce user access restrictions, allowing any authenticated user to view detailed information about other users within the same system. The flaw exists at the application level within the user management and authentication subsystem, where the software does not adequately validate user permissions when retrieving or displaying user-related metadata.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within OMERO's user information retrieval functions. When users attempt to access user details through the application programming interface or web interface, the system fails to properly verify whether the requesting user has adequate permissions to view the target user's information. This represents a classic case of inadequate authorization checks that violates the principle of least privilege and can be categorized under CWE-284, which addresses improper access control. The flaw manifests in the application's failure to implement proper user role-based access controls, allowing any authenticated user to potentially enumerate user accounts, access user profiles, and retrieve sensitive information about other system participants including user identifiers, roles, and potentially even session details.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, creating significant risks for research institutions and scientific organizations that rely on OMERO for managing sensitive data. Attackers who gain access to the system can exploit this vulnerability to perform user enumeration, which serves as a foundational step for more sophisticated attacks including credential stuffing, social engineering campaigns, and targeted attacks against specific user accounts. The exposure of user details can lead to unauthorized access to research data, compromise of intellectual property, and potential disruption of scientific workflows. Organizations using OMERO without proper patching face risks of data breaches that could expose not only user information but also the research data and projects that these users are involved with. This vulnerability particularly affects collaborative research environments where multiple users share the same data repositories and where user privacy and data confidentiality are paramount.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-16245 require immediate implementation of the vendor-provided patch version 5.6.1 or subsequent releases that address the access control flaw. System administrators should conduct thorough security assessments of their OMERO installations to verify that user access controls have been properly restored and that no unauthorized access has occurred. The implementation of additional security measures including network segmentation, enhanced monitoring of user access patterns, and regular security audits can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Organizations should also review their user management policies and ensure that proper access control mechanisms are in place to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other applications within their infrastructure. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and can be used as part of broader reconnaissance activities to gather intelligence about system users and their access patterns. Regular security training for system administrators and researchers regarding secure configuration practices and the importance of timely patch management remains essential for preventing exploitation of such access control vulnerabilities.