CVE-2020-24405 in Magento
Summary
by MITRE • 11/09/2020
Magento version 2.4.0 and 2.3.5p1 (and earlier) are affected by an incorrect permissions issue vulnerability in the Inventory module. This vulnerability could be abused by authenticated users to modify inventory stock data without authorization.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/03/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-24405 affects Magento e-commerce platforms version 2.4.0 and 2.3.5p1 along with earlier releases, specifically within the Inventory module. This represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the security model of the platform's inventory management system. The issue stems from improper permission validation mechanisms that fail to adequately verify user authorization levels before allowing modifications to stock data. Security researchers have classified this as an insufficient authorization vulnerability, which aligns with CWE-285, a well-documented weakness in access control mechanisms that allows unauthorized users to perform privileged actions. The vulnerability exists in the Magento Inventory module, which is responsible for managing product stock levels across multiple stock locations and fulfillment centers, making it a particularly attractive target for malicious actors seeking to manipulate inventory data for financial gain or operational disruption.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows authenticated users to exploit a flaw in the permission checking system that governs access to inventory modification functions. When users authenticate to the Magento platform, they should be subject to role-based access controls that restrict their ability to modify stock quantities, adjust product availability, or perform other critical inventory operations. However, the flaw in the Inventory module bypasses these controls, enabling users with lower privilege levels to execute administrative functions that should be restricted to authorized personnel only. This misconfiguration creates a scenario where any authenticated user can potentially manipulate stock levels, change product availability status, or modify inventory allocation data without proper authorization. The vulnerability essentially creates a backdoor within the platform's security architecture that allows privilege escalation through unauthorized data modification attempts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data integrity concerns and presents significant risks to business operations and financial security. Malicious actors could manipulate inventory data to create artificial scarcity, inflate product availability, or systematically deplete stock levels to cause operational disruptions. This type of manipulation could lead to stockouts that affect customer satisfaction and sales revenue, or conversely, over-allocation that results in financial losses when products are sold without proper inventory tracking. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for fraud and financial manipulation, as attackers could alter stock levels to facilitate unauthorized sales or create discrepancies in inventory accounting. Additionally, the compromised inventory data could affect supply chain operations, warehouse management systems, and customer-facing product availability information, potentially causing cascading effects throughout the entire e-commerce operation. Organizations using affected Magento versions face potential regulatory compliance issues and increased risk of financial fraud when this vulnerability remains unpatched.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-24405 require immediate action from affected organizations to address the unauthorized access control flaw in the Magento Inventory module. The primary remediation involves applying the official security patches released by Magento for versions 2.3.5p1 and 2.4.0, which correct the permission validation logic and restore proper access controls for inventory management functions. Organizations should also implement comprehensive access control reviews and privilege audits to identify any potential exploitation that may have already occurred. Network segmentation and monitoring controls should be enhanced to detect unusual inventory modification patterns or unauthorized access attempts to inventory management interfaces. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their Magento installations to identify similar access control flaws in other modules or components of the platform. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and unauthorized access patterns, making it important to monitor for lateral movement attempts and unauthorized administrative actions. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts, regular security configuration reviews, and continuous monitoring of inventory data changes to detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and proper access control implementations in e-commerce platforms that handle sensitive business data and financial transactions.