CVE-2019-5915 in OpenAM
Summary
by MITRE
Open redirect vulnerability in OpenAM (Open Source Edition) 13.0 allows remote attackers to redirect users to arbitrary web sites and conduct phishing attacks via a specially crafted page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2020
The CVE-2019-5915 vulnerability represents a critical open redirect flaw in OpenAM version 13.0, which exposes organizations to sophisticated phishing and social engineering attacks. This vulnerability specifically affects the authentication and authorization framework of the OpenAM platform, which is widely deployed for identity management and single sign-on solutions across enterprise environments. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation within the redirect parameter handling mechanism, allowing malicious actors to craft deceptive URLs that appear legitimate while directing users to attacker-controlled domains.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the improper sanitization of redirect URLs within the OpenAM authentication flow. When users attempt to access protected resources or navigate through the authentication process, the system accepts redirect parameters without sufficient validation of the target domain. This weakness enables attackers to construct malicious URLs that exploit the trust relationship between the OpenAM platform and its users, potentially leading to credential theft, data exfiltration, or further compromise of the authenticated session. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited through web-based interfaces without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that rely on OpenAM for user access control.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for enterprises using OpenAM 13.0, as it directly enables man-in-the-middle attacks and phishing campaigns that can bypass security controls. Attackers can leverage this flaw to redirect users from legitimate OpenAM pages to malicious sites that mimic the authentic interface, tricking users into entering credentials or sensitive information. The attack surface expands beyond simple redirection since successful exploitation can lead to privilege escalation, session hijacking, and unauthorized access to protected resources within the organization's infrastructure. Organizations with extensive OpenAM deployments face potential widespread compromise across their user base, particularly in environments where the platform serves as a central authentication hub for multiple applications and services.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including input validation of all redirect parameters, deployment of web application firewalls with rule sets specifically designed to detect and block open redirect patterns, and comprehensive user education regarding phishing awareness. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-601, which categorizes open redirect vulnerabilities as a common weakness in web applications, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566 related to phishing campaigns. Security teams must conduct immediate assessment of all OpenAM deployments to identify affected systems, apply vendor-provided patches or workarounds, and implement network-level controls to monitor and block suspicious redirect traffic. Additionally, organizations should review their authentication flow configurations and ensure that all redirect parameters are validated against a strict allowlist of approved domains to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability.