CVE-2020-13230 in Cacti
Summary
by MITRE
In Cacti before 1.2.11, disabling a user account does not immediately invalidate any permissions granted to that account (e.g., permission to view logs).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/21/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-13230 affects the Cacti network monitoring platform version 1.2.10 and earlier, representing a critical access control flaw that undermines the security posture of organizations relying on this widely-used open-source tool. This issue stems from a fundamental design flaw in the user management system where disabling a user account does not effectively revoke previously granted permissions, creating a persistent security risk that can be exploited by both malicious insiders and external attackers.
The technical flaw manifests in the platform's permission management architecture where account deactivation is implemented without proper cleanup of existing access tokens, session identifiers, or permission assignments. When an administrator disables a user account through the standard interface, the system merely marks the account as inactive but fails to invalidate any active sessions or revoke access rights that were previously granted to that user. This creates a scenario where disabled users can continue to access restricted resources including system logs, monitoring data, and administrative functions, effectively bypassing the intended security controls that should prevent unauthorized access.
From an operational perspective this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations that depend on Cacti for network monitoring and system administration. The impact extends beyond simple unauthorized data access to potentially enable privilege escalation, data exfiltration, and insider threat exploitation. Attackers who gain access to a disabled user's session or credentials can continue to monitor network traffic, view sensitive system information, and potentially manipulate monitoring configurations. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and can lead to compliance violations in regulated environments where access control and audit trails are mandatory.
The security implications of CVE-2020-13230 align with CWE-668, which describes "Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere," and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for Valid Accounts and T1046 for Network Service Scanning. Organizations using Cacti are particularly vulnerable during security audits and incident response scenarios where disabled accounts should be completely inaccessible but remain functional due to this flaw. The vulnerability also impacts the system's audit capabilities since the platform cannot properly track which users had access to sensitive information during their disabled period.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching to version 1.2.11 or later where this vulnerability has been addressed through proper session invalidation and permission cleanup mechanisms. Administrators should conduct comprehensive audits of all user accounts, particularly those that have been disabled, to identify any active sessions that need manual termination. Additional protective measures include implementing strict session management policies, regular monitoring of access logs for disabled accounts, and deploying network segmentation to limit the scope of potential exploitation. Organizations should also consider implementing automated account lifecycle management processes that ensure proper cleanup of permissions and sessions when accounts are disabled or deleted, thereby preventing similar issues in other systems and applications.