CVE-2020-12286 in Octopus Deploy
Summary
by MITRE
In Octopus Deploy before 2019.12.9 and 2020 before 2020.1.12, the TaskView permission is not scoped to any dimension. For example, a scoped user who is scoped to only one tenant can view server tasks scoped to any other tenant.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2020-12286 represents a critical access control flaw in Octopus Deploy versions prior to 2019.12.9 and 2020.1.12. This issue manifests as a privilege escalation vulnerability where the TaskView permission lacks proper scoping mechanisms, allowing unauthorized users to access sensitive system information beyond their designated access boundaries. The flaw directly violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and principle of least authority, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on tenant-based access controls.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper permission scoping within the Octopus Deploy platform's authorization framework. When users are assigned to specific tenants, the system should enforce strict boundaries preventing them from viewing tasks associated with other tenants. However, the TaskView permission is implemented without dimensional constraints, effectively creating a backdoor that bypasses tenant-level access controls. This design flaw enables a scoped user to enumerate and access server tasks across all tenants within the deployment environment, regardless of their assigned tenant assignments.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability exposes organizations to severe data leakage risks and potential compliance violations. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could gain visibility into deployment activities, infrastructure configurations, and potentially sensitive operational data belonging to other tenants. The implications extend beyond simple information disclosure as this access could enable further attacks including privilege escalation, lateral movement, and comprehensive system reconnaissance. The vulnerability particularly affects multi-tenant environments where organizations expect strict segregation of their deployment activities and sensitive information.
This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-284: Improper Access Control and aligns with ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and reconnaissance. The lack of proper access control scoping represents a fundamental architectural flaw that undermines the security model of the platform. Organizations using Octopus Deploy in production environments should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to patched versions, implementing additional access controls, and conducting comprehensive security audits of their deployment configurations. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper permission scoping in multi-tenant systems and highlights the need for thorough security testing of authorization mechanisms in deployment automation platforms.