CVE-2019-7950 in Magento
Summary
by MITRE
An access control bypass vulnerability exists in Magento 2.1 prior to 2.1.18, Magento 2.2 prior to 2.2.9, Magento 2.3 prior to 2.3.2. An unauthenticated user can bypass access controls via REST API calls to assign themselves to an arbitrary company, thereby gaining read access to potentially confidental information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/20/2020
This vulnerability represents a critical access control bypass flaw in Magento e-commerce platforms that affects multiple version ranges including Magento 2.1 before 2.1.18, Magento 2.2 before 2.2.9, and Magento 2.3 before 2.3.2. The security weakness stems from improper validation of user permissions within the REST API implementation, specifically in how the system handles company assignment operations. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this flaw by crafting malicious REST API requests that manipulate company assignment parameters, effectively allowing them to assume the identity of any company within the system without proper authentication or authorization. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-284 which defines improper access control issues in software systems, where the system fails to properly enforce access restrictions on resources. The flaw operates at the application layer and represents a significant escalation of privilege vulnerability that bypasses the normal authentication mechanisms that should prevent unauthorized access to company-specific data.
The technical execution of this vulnerability involves leveraging the REST API endpoints that handle company assignment functionality to manipulate request parameters and gain unauthorized access to company data. Attackers can exploit this by sending specially crafted API calls that bypass the normal authentication checks typically required for company assignment operations. This allows them to associate themselves with any company within the Magento system, thereby gaining read access to potentially confidential information such as customer data, order details, product information, and other sensitive business data that should be restricted to authorized company users only. The vulnerability's impact is particularly severe because it affects the core access control mechanisms of the platform, enabling attackers to gain access to data that should be protected by company-level access controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to encompass potential data breaches and unauthorized access to sensitive business information. Organizations using affected Magento versions face significant risks including exposure of customer personal information, financial data, business intelligence, and other confidential company assets. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring any valid credentials, making it particularly dangerous for online retailers who rely on Magento for their e-commerce operations. This flaw violates fundamental security principles and can lead to compliance violations under data protection regulations such as gdpr, pci dss, and other regulatory frameworks that require proper access controls and data protection measures. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation through access control bypasses.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to the patched versions of Magento 2.1.18, 2.2.9, and 2.3.2, which address the access control bypass issue through proper validation of company assignment requests. Additional protective measures include implementing rate limiting on REST API endpoints, monitoring for unusual company assignment patterns, and configuring proper firewall rules to restrict access to administrative API endpoints. Security teams should also review existing access control policies and implement network segmentation to limit exposure of critical API endpoints. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and authentication checks in REST API implementations, and serves as a reminder of the critical need for regular security updates and vulnerability assessments in e-commerce platforms. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security audits of their Magento installations to identify any potential exploitation attempts and ensure that proper access controls are in place to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future.