CVE-2020-8495 in Web Time
Summary
by MITRE
In Kronos Web Time and Attendance (webTA) 3.8.x and later 3.x versions before 4.0, the com.threeis.webta.H491delegate servlet allows an attacker with Timekeeper or Supervisor privileges to gain unauthorized administrative privileges within the application via the delegate, delegateRole, and delegatorUserId parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/02/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-8495 affects Kronos Web Time and Attendance (webTA) version 3.8.x and earlier 3.x releases prior to 4.0. This represents a critical authorization bypass flaw that allows attackers with relatively low-privilege accounts to escalate their access within the application. The vulnerability resides within the com.threeis.webta.H491delegate servlet which handles delegation functionality within the time and attendance system. The attack vector specifically targets three parameters: delegate, delegateRole, and delegatorUserId, which are processed without proper authorization checks, creating a pathway for privilege escalation.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate input validation and authorization controls within the delegation servlet. When an attacker submits requests containing malicious values in the delegate, delegateRole, and delegatorUserId parameters, the system fails to verify whether the authenticated user possesses the necessary permissions to perform administrative delegation operations. This weakness aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues, and represents a classic case of insufficient access control validation. The vulnerability allows an attacker with Timekeeper or Supervisor privileges to essentially impersonate administrators, gaining access to sensitive administrative functions and data that should be restricted to authorized personnel only.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers to bypass the normal security boundaries of the time and attendance system. An attacker could potentially manipulate employee time records, modify user permissions, access confidential payroll information, and perform other administrative tasks that would normally require full administrative privileges. This creates significant risks for organizations relying on Kronos webTA for workforce management, as unauthorized individuals could gain access to sensitive personnel data and manipulate critical time tracking information. The vulnerability also poses risks to data integrity and audit trails, as unauthorized changes could go undetected within the system.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches or updates that address the authorization bypass issue. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious delegation activities and unauthorized privilege escalation attempts. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by ensuring that users only have the minimum permissions necessary for their roles. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security reviews of their time and attendance systems, implement proper logging and auditing of administrative activities, and establish incident response procedures to detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper authorization controls and input validation in web applications, particularly in systems handling sensitive personnel and payroll data. The issue highlights the need for comprehensive security testing including authorization testing and privilege escalation validation during application development and deployment phases. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as multi-factor authentication for administrative functions and regular security assessments of third-party applications to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in their environments.