CVE-2019-7158 in OX App Suite
Summary
by MITRE
OX App Suite 7.10.0 and earlier has Incorrect Access Control.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/27/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-7158 affects OX App Suite versions 7.10.0 and earlier, representing a critical access control flaw that undermines the security posture of the email and collaboration platform. This issue stems from improper authorization mechanisms within the application's permission system, allowing unauthorized users to gain access to resources and functionalities that should be restricted to legitimate authenticated users. The vulnerability exists in the application's core access control implementation, where the system fails to properly validate user permissions before granting access to sensitive features or data.
The technical flaw manifests through insufficient validation of user credentials and session tokens during resource access requests. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious requests that bypass the normal authentication flow, potentially accessing other users' email accounts, calendar entries, contacts, and file storage without proper authorization. The vulnerability operates at the application layer where access control decisions should be enforced, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged to perform privilege escalation attacks. This flaw aligns with CWE-285, which describes improper authorization issues in software systems, and represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege that should govern all access control mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, as it enables attackers to compromise user data confidentiality and potentially disrupt business operations. Organizations using OX App Suite in enterprise environments face significant risk of data breaches, insider threats, and regulatory compliance violations when this vulnerability remains unpatched. The attack surface extends beyond individual user accounts to include administrative functions, allowing threat actors to potentially escalate privileges and gain full control over the application. This access control failure can result in unauthorized data exfiltration, modification of critical business communications, and disruption of collaboration workflows that depend on the platform.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-7158 should prioritize immediate patching of affected OX App Suite installations to version 7.10.1 or later, which contains the necessary access control fixes. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to the application servers, enforce multi-factor authentication for all users, and conduct comprehensive access control audits to identify any potential exploitation attempts. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual access patterns or unauthorized authentication attempts. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and session management controls can help prevent similar issues in the future. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and following secure coding practices that align with NIST SP 800-53 security controls, particularly those related to access control and authentication mechanisms. Organizations should also consider implementing the ATT&CK framework's access control bypass techniques to better understand and defend against similar threats in their environments.