CVE-2020-12339 in Collaboration Suite for WebRTC
Summary
by MITRE • 02/17/2021
Insufficient control flow management in the API for the Intel(R) Collaboration Suite for WebRTC before version 4.3.1 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via network access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/02/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-12339 resides within the Intel(R) Collaboration Suite for WebRTC, specifically targeting the application programming interface's control flow management mechanisms. This issue affects versions prior to 4.3.1 and represents a critical security flaw that could be exploited by authenticated users to escalate their privileges within the system. The vulnerability stems from inadequate oversight of program execution paths, creating potential entry points for malicious actors who have already gained initial access to the system. The affected API components fail to properly validate or restrict the flow of execution, allowing unauthorized privilege escalation through network-based attacks.
The technical flaw manifests in the insufficient control flow management within the WebRTC collaboration suite's API implementation. When an authenticated user interacts with the system, the API fails to properly enforce access controls or validate the legitimacy of execution paths being traversed. This weakness creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate the program's execution flow, potentially bypassing security checks that should prevent privilege escalation. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of authentication and authorization controls, where proper flow management should prevent an authenticated user from gaining elevated privileges without proper authorization. This type of flaw commonly maps to CWE-367, which addresses the issue of Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use vulnerabilities, where control flow management becomes critical in preventing unauthorized access patterns.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it represents a fundamental weakness in the system's security architecture. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could potentially gain administrative or root-level access to the collaboration suite, enabling them to manipulate or extract sensitive data from the system. The network-based nature of the exploit means that attackers do not require physical access to the system, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where network access may be more readily available. Organizations using the affected Intel Collaboration Suite could face significant security risks, including data breaches, unauthorized system modifications, and potential lateral movement within their network infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-12339 primarily focus on updating to the patched version 4.3.1 or later of the Intel Collaboration Suite for WebRTC. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of this update across all affected systems to eliminate the privilege escalation vector. Network segmentation and monitoring should be implemented to detect unusual API access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing additional access controls and monitoring mechanisms around the WebRTC API endpoints to provide defense-in-depth. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation," indicates that organizations should review their incident response procedures to address potential privilege escalation scenarios. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar control flow management issues in other components of the system architecture, as this type of vulnerability often indicates broader architectural weaknesses in security implementation.