CVE-2019-19677 in arxes-tolina
Summary
by MITRE
arxes-tolina 3.0.0 allows User Enumeration.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/17/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-19677 affects the arxes-tolina 3.0.0 software and represents a user enumeration flaw that exposes sensitive information about system users. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of information disclosure issues where an attacker can systematically identify valid user accounts within the system. The flaw enables unauthorized parties to determine which user accounts exist on the system by exploiting the application's response behavior when processing user-related requests. Such information can serve as a critical first step in subsequent attack phases, including brute force attacks or social engineering campaigns. The vulnerability demonstrates a lack of proper input validation and response handling mechanisms that should prevent attackers from distinguishing between valid and invalid user accounts through subtle differences in system responses.
This security weakness aligns with CWE-200, which categorizes information exposure vulnerabilities where systems inadvertently reveal information about their internal state or configuration. The specific implementation flaw likely occurs when the application processes user authentication or lookup requests without implementing consistent error responses for all user account attempts. Attackers can exploit this by sending multiple requests with different user identifiers and observing variations in response times, error messages, or status codes that reveal which accounts are valid. The vulnerability represents a classic example of how insufficient security controls in authentication mechanisms can lead to reconnaissance activities that significantly weaken overall system security posture. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it directly enables credential stuffing attacks and can facilitate more sophisticated exploitation techniques.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-19677 is substantial as it provides attackers with a foundational element for compromising system integrity and availability. Once valid user accounts are identified, attackers can proceed with targeted brute force attacks, password spraying, or credential reuse attempts against the discovered accounts. This vulnerability directly maps to several tactics in the MITRE ATT&CK framework including credential access and discovery phases where adversaries seek to enumerate valid credentials and user accounts. The flaw undermines the principle of least privilege and can lead to privilege escalation if the enumerated users have elevated system access rights. Organizations utilizing arxes-tolina 3.0.0 are particularly vulnerable as this information disclosure weakness can be exploited without requiring advanced technical skills or specialized tools, making it attractive to both automated attack scripts and manual penetration testers. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for account takeover attacks that can result in data breaches and unauthorized access to sensitive system resources.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-19677 should focus on implementing consistent error handling across all user-related operations within the application. Organizations should ensure that all user authentication and lookup requests return identical responses regardless of whether the requested account exists, thereby preventing attackers from distinguishing between valid and invalid user attempts. This approach aligns with security best practices outlined in OWASP and NIST guidelines for authentication system design. The implementation should include rate limiting and account lockout mechanisms to prevent automated enumeration attempts, while also ensuring that error messages do not provide information about account validity. Regular security testing and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, particularly those handling user account operations. System administrators should also consider implementing additional monitoring and alerting for unusual authentication patterns that may indicate enumeration attempts. The vendor should be notified to provide a security patch that addresses the root cause of the vulnerability through proper input validation and consistent response handling mechanisms.