CVE-2020-9588 in Magento
Summary
by MITRE
Magento versions 2.3.4 and earlier, 2.2.11 and earlier (see note), 1.14.4.4 and earlier, and 1.9.4.4 and earlier have an observable timing discrepancy vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to signature verification bypass.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-9588 represents a critical timing discrepancy issue affecting multiple versions of the Magento e-commerce platform across its major release lines. This vulnerability resides in the cryptographic signature verification mechanism that Magento employs to validate various security operations within its framework. The timing discrepancy manifests when the system processes digital signatures, creating measurable differences in execution time that can be exploited by malicious actors. This flaw specifically impacts Magento versions 2.3.4 and earlier, 2.2.11 and earlier, 1.14.4.4 and earlier, and 1.9.4.4 and earlier, spanning a significant portion of the platform's historical releases. The vulnerability operates at the cryptographic level where the timing characteristics of signature verification routines can leak information about the validity of cryptographic operations, creating a side-channel attack vector that falls under the broader category of timing attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the fact that Magento's signature verification process does not employ constant-time comparison algorithms for cryptographic operations. When validating signatures, the system's response time varies depending on whether certain checks pass or fail during the verification process. Attackers can measure these timing differences through repeated attempts to forge or manipulate digital signatures, ultimately enabling them to bypass signature verification mechanisms entirely. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-347, which specifically addresses the lack of proper cryptographic verification mechanisms and the potential for side-channel attacks through timing discrepancies. The flaw represents a fundamental weakness in the cryptographic implementation where the system's behavior reveals information about the internal state during signature validation, violating the principle of constant-time execution that is essential for secure cryptographic operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple signature bypass capabilities, potentially enabling attackers to perform more sophisticated attacks within the Magento ecosystem. Successful exploitation could allow malicious actors to forge administrative actions, manipulate order processing, or compromise user authentication mechanisms that rely on digital signatures for validation. The vulnerability particularly affects systems where Magento's security model depends on cryptographic signatures to protect sensitive operations, potentially leading to unauthorized access to administrative panels, data manipulation, or complete system compromise. Given that Magento serves as a critical platform for online commerce, the implications of such a vulnerability could result in significant financial losses, data breaches, and reputational damage for affected organizations. The attack vector typically involves repeated signature verification attempts with carefully crafted inputs to observe timing variations and gradually reconstruct valid signatures, making this a particularly insidious threat that can be exploited remotely without requiring privileged access to the system.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through official security patches provided by Magento, as the company has released updates specifically addressing this timing discrepancy. The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to patched versions of Magento across all supported release lines, ensuring that all systems are updated to versions that implement constant-time cryptographic comparison routines. Security teams should also consider implementing additional monitoring for unusual signature verification patterns and timing variations that could indicate exploitation attempts. Network-level controls such as intrusion detection systems can be configured to detect patterns consistent with timing attack behaviors, while application-level controls should enforce strict access controls and audit logging for signature-related operations. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1552.004 (Credentials from Password Stores) and T1211 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation) highlights the potential for attackers to leverage this weakness as a stepping stone for broader system compromise, making the remediation process critical for maintaining overall security posture. Additionally, organizations should review their cryptographic implementations across all systems to ensure similar timing discrepancies are not present in other components that rely on signature verification or authentication mechanisms.