CVE-2019-5969 in GROWI
Summary
by MITRE
Open redirect vulnerability in GROWI v3.4.6 and earlier allows remote attackersto redirect users to arbitrary web sites and conduct phishing attacks via the process of login.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/18/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-5969 represents a critical open redirect flaw within GROWI version 3.4.6 and earlier systems. This security weakness specifically manifests during the authentication process, where the application fails to properly validate redirect URLs, creating an avenue for malicious actors to manipulate user navigation. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization and validation mechanisms that should have been implemented to verify the legitimacy of redirection targets during login procedures. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious URLs that appear to originate from legitimate GROWI instances, thereby deceiving users into navigating to attacker-controlled domains. The open redirect vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-601, which categorizes insecure redirects and forwards as a significant security concern that can facilitate various social engineering attacks including phishing and credential theft. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses a severe risk to organizations utilizing GROWI for collaborative documentation and knowledge management, as it enables attackers to impersonate legitimate authentication endpoints and capture user credentials or sensitive information.
The technical exploitation of CVE-2019-5969 occurs when users attempt to log into GROWI systems and are subsequently redirected to malicious domains through crafted redirect parameters. The vulnerability exists because the application does not adequately validate whether redirect URLs are within the trusted domain or if they point to legitimate internal resources. This flaw allows attackers to construct malicious links that appear to be legitimate GROWI login redirects, potentially including parameters that specify external domains for redirection. The attack vector operates through standard web browser behavior where users are automatically redirected to attacker-controlled websites after authentication attempts, making it particularly effective for phishing campaigns. Security researchers have documented similar patterns in other web applications where improper URL validation leads to open redirect vulnerabilities, often resulting in successful credential harvesting and unauthorized access to corporate resources. The impact extends beyond simple redirection as it can serve as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks including session hijacking and privilege escalation within the compromised environment.
Organizations running vulnerable versions of GROWI should immediately implement comprehensive mitigations to address this open redirect vulnerability. The primary remediation involves implementing strict URL validation mechanisms that ensure all redirect parameters are either absolute URLs within the trusted domain or explicitly defined safe redirect targets. Security patches should enforce domain validation checks that prevent redirection to external domains unless explicitly authorized through a whitelist mechanism. Additionally, implementing proper input sanitization and output encoding techniques can prevent attackers from injecting malicious redirect parameters into the authentication flow. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as multi-factor authentication and monitoring for unusual redirect patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to technique T1566.001 which covers credential harvesting through phishing attacks, and T1071.004 which addresses application layer protocol usage for command and control communications. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to verify that redirect validation mechanisms remain effective against evolving attack techniques and that no similar vulnerabilities exist in related components of the GROWI ecosystem.