CVE-2020-9002 in iCS
Summary
by MITRE • 09/01/2021
An issue was discovered in iPortalis iCS 7.1.13.0. An attacker can gain privileges by intercepting a request and changing UserRoleKey=COMPANY_ADMIN to UserRoleKey=DOMAIN_ADMIN (to achieve Domain Administrator access).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-9002 affects iPortalis iCS version 7.1.13.0, representing a critical privilege escalation flaw that directly impacts the security posture of organizations relying on this industrial control system. This issue stems from insufficient authorization checks within the application's role-based access control mechanism, specifically within the user role management functionality. The vulnerability allows an attacker to manipulate authentication tokens or session data to elevate their privileges from company administrator to domain administrator status.
The technical flaw manifests through improper validation of user role identifiers within the application's request processing pipeline. When an authenticated user makes a request to the system, the application relies on a UserRoleKey parameter to determine the user's access level and permissions. The vulnerability occurs because the system does not adequately verify that the requesting user has legitimate authorization to assume the target role. This weakness enables attackers to intercept valid authentication requests and modify the UserRoleKey parameter from COMPANY_ADMIN to DOMAIN_ADMIN, effectively bypassing the normal access control mechanisms that should prevent such privilege escalation.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a severe risk to industrial control environments where iPortalis iCS is deployed. Domain administrator privileges typically provide unrestricted access to critical system components, configuration settings, and operational controls within the industrial environment. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could potentially disrupt industrial processes, modify critical parameters, access sensitive operational data, or even cause physical damage to industrial equipment through unauthorized control actions. The impact extends beyond simple data access, as domain administrators often possess the ability to modify system configurations, create new user accounts, and access all system resources.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and represents a classic example of insufficient access control validation. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation through unauthorized access to administrative privileges. The attack vector requires network interception capabilities, typically achieved through man-in-the-middle attacks or compromised network access points. The exploitation is relatively straightforward and does not require advanced technical skills, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network security is inadequate.
Organizations should immediately implement network segmentation to isolate iPortalis iCS systems from general network traffic and deploy network monitoring solutions to detect unusual request patterns. The recommended mitigations include implementing proper parameter validation at the application level, enforcing strict access control checks, and implementing session management controls that prevent modification of role identifiers. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing multi-factor authentication, regular security audits of access controls, and network intrusion detection systems to monitor for potential exploitation attempts. The vendor should provide a security patch addressing this authorization bypass issue, and organizations should prioritize upgrading to patched versions of the software to eliminate this vulnerability from their operational environment.