CVE-2020-10130 in SearchBlox
Summary
by MITRE • 09/06/2023
SearchBlox before Version 9.1 is vulnerable to business logic bypass where the user is able to create multiple super admin users in the system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/02/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-10130 affects SearchBlox versions prior to 9.1 and represents a critical business logic flaw that undermines the system's access control mechanisms. This weakness allows authenticated users to exploit a design flaw in the user management system, enabling them to escalate their privileges by creating additional super administrator accounts within the platform. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation and authorization checks during the user creation process, specifically failing to properly verify whether the requesting user possesses the necessary administrative privileges to perform such operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability lies in the flawed authorization logic that governs user privilege assignment within the SearchBlox application. When a user attempts to create a new administrative account, the system does not adequately validate whether the current session has sufficient permissions to grant super administrator privileges to other accounts. This business logic error creates an exploitable condition where any authenticated user can bypass normal access controls and establish additional administrative accounts, effectively compromising the entire system's security posture. The flaw operates at the application layer and can be exploited through the web interface or API endpoints that handle user management operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching, as it fundamentally compromises the principle of least privilege and administrative segregation that security-conscious organizations rely upon. An attacker who gains access to any legitimate user account can immediately escalate their privileges to full administrative control without requiring additional credentials or exploiting other vulnerabilities. This capability enables unauthorized individuals to modify system configurations, access sensitive data, manipulate search results, and potentially exfiltrate information from the SearchBlox environment. The vulnerability essentially provides a backdoor mechanism that allows privilege escalation without requiring knowledge of administrative passwords or other authentication credentials.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1484 (Domain Policy Modification). The flaw represents a classic case of insufficient authorization checks that violates fundamental security principles. Organizations using SearchBlox versions before 9.1 face significant risk exposure, as this vulnerability can be exploited remotely by any authenticated user with access to the system. The impact extends beyond immediate privilege escalation to potentially enable further attacks such as data exfiltration, system compromise, and lateral movement within network environments where SearchBlox is deployed.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediate deployment of SearchBlox version 9.1 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the business logic flaw. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring and logging of user creation activities, particularly those involving administrative privilege assignments. Security teams should conduct thorough access control reviews and consider implementing role-based access control measures to limit the scope of user creation capabilities. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be performed to identify similar business logic vulnerabilities within the application. Network segmentation and additional authentication controls should be considered as compensating measures while the primary patch is being deployed.