CVE-2020-8434 in Jenzabar JICS
Summary
by MITRE
Jenzabar JICS (aka Internet Campus Solution) before 9.0.1 Patch 3, 9.1 before 9.1.2 Patch 2, and 9.2 before 9.2.2 Patch 8 has session cookies that are a deterministic function of the username. There is a hard-coded password to supply a PBKDF feeding into AES to encrypt a username and base64 encode it to a client-side cookie for persistent session authentication. By knowing the key and algorithm, an attacker can select any username, encrypt it, base64 encode it, and save it in their browser with the correct JICSLoginCookie cookie format to impersonate any real user in the JICS database without the need for authenticating (or verifying with MFA if implemented).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-8434 affects Jenzabar JICS (Internet Campus Solution) versions prior to specific patch releases, creating a critical session management flaw that fundamentally undermines the authentication security model. This issue resides in the session cookie generation mechanism where the system employs a deterministic function based on username values, eliminating the randomness that cryptographic session tokens require. The vulnerability represents a classic implementation flaw in cryptographic key management and session handling, classified under CWE-310 as "Cryptographic Issues" and specifically CWE-326 for "Inadequate Encryption Strength" when considering the weak encryption algorithm and hard-coded key usage.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a hard-coded password that serves as the foundation for a PBKDF (Password-Based Key Derivation Function) process, which then feeds into AES encryption operations. This approach violates fundamental security principles by embedding cryptographic keys within the application code, making them discoverable through reverse engineering or code analysis. The deterministic nature of the cookie generation means that any attacker who can obtain the algorithm and key can generate valid session cookies for arbitrary user accounts, effectively bypassing all authentication mechanisms including multi-factor authentication if implemented. This attack vector aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 for credential access through spoofing and T1078 for valid accounts usage.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching, as it enables attackers to achieve persistent unauthorized access to the JICS system without requiring legitimate credentials or knowledge of user passwords. The ability to impersonate any user in the database creates a complete compromise of the system's access control mechanisms, potentially exposing sensitive educational data, financial information, and administrative functions. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform actions such as modifying student records, accessing confidential communications, manipulating financial transactions, and gaining unauthorized administrative privileges. The deterministic nature of the cookies means that once the attack is understood, it can be automated and repeated across multiple targets within the organization's network.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement patch management protocols to upgrade to the recommended versions that address the hard-coded key issue and implement proper session management practices. The mitigation strategy must include replacing the deterministic cookie generation with cryptographically secure random session identifiers and eliminating hard-coded cryptographic keys from the application code. Security teams should also implement monitoring for suspicious session activity and consider additional authentication layers such as IP address restrictions and behavioral analytics to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper key management and the dangers of embedding cryptographic secrets within application binaries, representing a failure in secure coding practices that directly violates security standards established in NIST SP 800-57 for cryptographic key management and OWASP Top Ten security principles for authentication and session management.