CVE-2019-3793 in Apps Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Pivotal Apps Manager Release, versions 665.0.x prior to 665.0.28, versions 666.0.x prior to 666.0.21, versions 667.0.x prior to 667.0.7, contain an invitation service that accepts HTTP. A remote unauthenticated user could listen to network traffic and gain access to the authorization credentials used to make the invitation requests.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/06/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-3793 affects Pivotal Apps Manager releases across multiple version streams including 665.0.x prior to 665.0.28, 666.0.x prior to 666.0.21, and 667.0.x prior to 667.0.7. This security flaw resides within the invitation service component of the platform, which improperly handles HTTP connections rather than implementing secure HTTPS protocols. The vulnerability represents a critical weakness in the authentication and authorization framework of the application management system, creating an attack surface that allows malicious actors to intercept and potentially exploit sensitive credential information. The issue stems from the service's failure to enforce encrypted communication channels, leaving authorization tokens and authentication credentials exposed to network eavesdropping. This weakness directly violates security best practices and industry standards such as those outlined in the CWE-319 category for cleartext transmission of sensitive information, which specifically addresses the transmission of confidential data over unencrypted channels. The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it enables unauthorized access to the invitation service itself, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate user invitations and access control mechanisms within the platform.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through network traffic interception techniques where remote unauthenticated users can capture HTTP requests containing authorization credentials used for making invitation requests. This attack vector aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1046 for network service scanning and T1566 for credential harvesting through network traffic interception. The flaw operates at the transport layer security level where the service should have implemented mandatory encryption for all communication channels but instead accepted cleartext HTTP traffic. Attackers can leverage standard packet capture tools to monitor network traffic and extract authorization tokens that are transmitted in plain text within HTTP headers or request parameters. The vulnerability essentially creates a man-in-the-middle opportunity where network traffic can be monitored and the authorization credentials can be reused by unauthorized parties to gain access to the invitation service and potentially escalate privileges within the platform. This represents a fundamental failure in the security architecture where authentication tokens are not protected during transmission, violating the principle of least privilege and secure communication practices.
Organizations affected by CVE-2019-3793 face significant operational risks including unauthorized access to user invitation systems, potential privilege escalation, and exposure of sensitive platform credentials that could be used for further attacks within the Pivotal Cloud Foundry environment. The vulnerability's impact is amplified because it affects multiple version streams, indicating a systemic issue within the platform's security implementation rather than an isolated flaw. Security teams must consider the potential for lateral movement within cloud environments where compromised invitation credentials could provide access to additional services or user accounts. The lack of encryption in the invitation service creates a persistent threat vector that remains active until the vulnerability is patched, and organizations may need to revoke and regenerate all affected authorization tokens to mitigate the risk. This vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of the invitation service, which is critical for maintaining proper access control and user management within enterprise cloud platforms. The risk assessment should consider the potential for credential replay attacks and the possibility that intercepted tokens could be used to create unauthorized invitations or access restricted platform features. Organizations should implement immediate network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish secure communication channels for all services that handle authentication tokens. The remediation process requires updating to the patched versions of Pivotal Apps Manager while also implementing network-level protections such as mandatory TLS enforcement and traffic encryption to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other services.