CVE-2020-26515 in codeBeamer ALM
Summary
by MITRE • 06/08/2021
An insufficiently protected credentials issue was discovered in Intland codeBeamer ALM 10.x through 10.1.SP4. The remember-me cookie (CB_LOGIN) issued by the application contains the encrypted user's credentials. However, due to a bug in the application code, those credentials are encrypted using a NULL encryption key.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/11/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-26515 represents a critical credential exposure issue within Intland codeBeamer ALM version 10.x through 10.1.SP4. This flaw resides in the application's authentication mechanism and specifically affects the remember-me functionality that users employ to maintain persistent sessions. The system generates a CB_LOGIN cookie that is intended to store user authentication state, but this implementation contains a fundamental security flaw that undermines the protection of user credentials.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the application's encryption implementation where the remember-me cookie contains user credentials that are supposedly encrypted but are actually protected using a NULL encryption key. This means that the encryption process is effectively disabled, rendering the credentials stored within the cookie completely unprotected and readable by anyone who can access the cookie. The flaw manifests as a direct violation of cryptographic best practices where the application fails to implement proper encryption mechanisms, instead relying on a null or zero-length key that provides no actual security protection.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations using codeBeamer ALM as it allows attackers to obtain valid user credentials simply by intercepting or accessing the CB_LOGIN cookie. The impact extends beyond individual user compromise to potentially enable broader system access and lateral movement within the application environment. Attackers can leverage this weakness to gain unauthorized access to sensitive development data, source code repositories, and other critical assets managed through the application. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the authentication layer, potentially allowing attackers to escalate privileges or maintain persistent access without requiring additional exploitation techniques.
This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-310, which specifically addresses cryptographic issues related to weak or broken encryption implementations. The flaw also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers credential harvesting through various means including cookie manipulation and session hijacking. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including disabling the remember-me functionality, implementing proper encryption key management, and deploying network monitoring to detect unauthorized cookie access. Additionally, the application should be updated to a patched version that implements proper encryption mechanisms with strong cryptographic keys, and security audits should be conducted to ensure all authentication cookies are properly secured using industry-standard encryption protocols. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation in authentication systems and demonstrates how seemingly minor coding errors can create significant security exposures that compromise entire user bases.