CVE-2020-24403 in Magento
Summary
by MITRE • 11/09/2020
Magento version 2.4.0 and 2.3.5p1 (and earlier) are affected by an incorrect user permissions vulnerability within the Inventory component. This vulnerability could be abused by authenticated users with Inventory and Source permissions to make unauthorized changes to inventory source data via the REST API.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/03/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-24403 affects Magento e-commerce platforms version 2.4.0 and 2.3.5p1 along with earlier releases, specifically targeting the Inventory component. This issue represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the security model of the platform's inventory management system. The vulnerability exists within the REST API implementation of the Magento Inventory module, which is designed to manage product inventory across multiple sources and locations. Organizations relying on Magento for their online commerce operations face significant risks as this flaw allows for unauthorized data manipulation through legitimate API access points.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient authorization checks within the Magento Inventory component's REST API endpoints. Authenticated users who possess Inventory and Source permissions can exploit this weakness to perform unauthorized modifications to inventory source data. This occurs because the system fails to properly validate whether the requesting user has the appropriate level of access to modify specific inventory source configurations. The vulnerability essentially allows privilege escalation within the inventory management context, where users with limited permissions can gain access to functions typically restricted to administrators or privileged inventory managers. This misconfiguration violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and proper access control enforcement.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data integrity concerns to encompass potential financial losses and operational disruptions. Attackers could manipulate inventory source configurations to hide stock levels, redirect inventory to unauthorized sources, or create false inventory records that could lead to overselling or stockouts. The implications are particularly severe for businesses that rely heavily on accurate inventory tracking for supply chain management and customer service. This vulnerability could enable attackers to disrupt normal business operations by manipulating inventory data in ways that affect order fulfillment, shipping logistics, and financial reporting. Additionally, the unauthorized changes may go undetected for extended periods, making the impact more insidious and harder to remediate.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the official Magento security patches released to address this vulnerability, which typically involve strengthening the authorization checks within the Inventory REST API endpoints. Access controls should be reviewed and enforced more rigorously, ensuring that users with Inventory and Source permissions cannot perform operations outside their designated scope. Network segmentation and API monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which describes improper access control, and could be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and privilege escalation. Regular security audits of API endpoints and comprehensive user permission reviews should become standard practice to prevent similar issues from emerging in other components of the Magento platform or related systems.