CVE-2020-28937 in OpenClinic
Summary
by MITRE • 12/03/2020
OpenClinic version 0.8.2 is affected by a missing authentication vulnerability that allows unauthenticated users to access any patient's medical test results, possibly resulting in disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI) stored in the application, via a direct request for the /tests/ URI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/12/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-28937 affects OpenClinic version 0.8.2 and represents a critical authentication bypass flaw that compromises the confidentiality of Protected Health Information. This issue stems from inadequate access controls within the application's web interface, specifically within the medical test results module. The vulnerability allows any unauthenticated user to directly access patient medical test results by making a simple HTTP request to the /tests/ URI endpoint, effectively eliminating any form of user authentication or authorization checks.
The technical implementation of this flaw demonstrates a fundamental failure in the application's security architecture where the /tests/ endpoint lacks proper authentication mechanisms. This represents a classic example of a missing authentication vulnerability classified under CWE-284, which specifically addresses insufficient access control. The flaw occurs at the application layer where the web server fails to validate user credentials before granting access to sensitive medical data. Attackers can exploit this by simply constructing a direct HTTP request to the vulnerable URI without requiring any valid login credentials or session tokens.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized data access, as it directly violates the principles of healthcare data protection mandated by regulations such as HIPAA. When unauthenticated users can access patient medical test results, they gain access to Protected Health Information that includes sensitive medical conditions, diagnoses, treatments, and personal health data. This exposure creates significant risk for patient privacy and could lead to identity theft, medical fraud, or social engineering attacks. The vulnerability affects the entire patient database accessible through the /tests/ endpoint, meaning that attackers could potentially access records for hundreds or thousands of patients simultaneously.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and T1566 which involves credential harvesting. The flaw essentially provides attackers with a direct path to sensitive data without the need for additional reconnaissance or privilege escalation techniques. Organizations using OpenClinic version 0.8.2 face immediate risk of data breaches that could result in regulatory penalties, legal liability, and reputational damage. The vulnerability's exploitation is straightforward and requires minimal technical skill, making it particularly dangerous in environments where healthcare applications handle sensitive patient information.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper authentication mechanisms at the application level, including session management, user authentication, and role-based access controls. The immediate fix involves adding authentication checks to the /tests/ URI endpoint and ensuring that all access to medical test results requires valid user credentials. Organizations should also implement proper input validation and access logging to monitor for unauthorized access attempts. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar authentication bypass vulnerabilities in other parts of the healthcare information system. The fix should align with security standards such as NIST SP 800-53 and ISO 27001 requirements for healthcare data protection and access control.