CVE-2020-11463 in Deskpro
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Deskpro before 2019.8.0. The /api/email_accounts endpoint failed to properly validate a user's privilege, allowing an attacker to retrieve cleartext credentials of all helpdesk email accounts, including incoming and outgoing email credentials. This enables an attacker to get full access to all emails sent or received by the system including password reset emails, making it possible to reset any user's password.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/13/2024
The vulnerability CVE-2020-11463 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw in Deskpro versions prior to 2019.8.0 that fundamentally undermines the security of email account management within the helpdesk system. This issue manifests through the /api/email_accounts endpoint which fails to implement proper access controls, creating an unauthorized data exposure scenario that affects the entire email infrastructure of affected deployments.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate input validation and privilege checking mechanisms within the API endpoint design. When an attacker accesses the /api/email_accounts endpoint without proper authentication or authorization, the system incorrectly grants access to all email account configurations including sensitive cleartext credentials. This represents a classic authorization bypass vulnerability that falls under CWE-285, specifically addressing improper authorization within API access controls. The vulnerability allows attackers to extract not just basic email account information but complete credential sets including both incoming and outgoing email server configurations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching, as it provides attackers with comprehensive access to all email communications within the helpdesk system. With access to cleartext credentials, attackers can intercept and manipulate all email traffic including sensitive communications such as password reset emails, system notifications, and user correspondence. This creates a complete compromise of the authentication and authorization mechanisms, enabling attackers to reset passwords for any user account within the system and maintain persistent access. The vulnerability essentially provides a backdoor to the entire user base and system administration functions.
The attack vector for this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which involves credential harvesting through phishing and social engineering, but in this case the credentials are directly exposed through the API endpoint rather than being obtained through indirect means. The lack of proper privilege validation creates an opportunity for attackers to escalate their access level from basic user to administrator level, potentially compromising the entire system infrastructure. Organizations using affected versions of Deskpro face significant risk of data breaches, unauthorized access to sensitive communications, and potential lateral movement within their network through credential reuse.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching to version 2019.8.0 or later where the privilege validation has been properly implemented. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to the API endpoints, enforce strict access controls through firewalls, and monitor API access logs for unauthorized access attempts. Additionally, regular security audits should verify that all API endpoints properly validate user privileges and implement proper authentication mechanisms. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing defense-in-depth strategies and proper access control validation in all system components, particularly in API interfaces that handle sensitive data and authentication credentials.