CVE-2021-28024 in Helpdesk
Summary
by MITRE • 11/08/2021
Unauthorized system access in the login form in ServiceTonic Helpdesk software version < 9.0.35937 allows attacker to login without using a password.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/11/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-28024 represents a critical authentication flaw in ServiceTonic Helpdesk software versions prior to 9.0.35937. This issue manifests as an unauthorized system access condition within the login form functionality, creating a significant security risk that directly undermines the software's primary access control mechanisms. The flaw enables attackers to bypass standard authentication procedures and gain system access without providing valid credentials, fundamentally compromising the integrity of the authentication framework.
This vulnerability stems from improper input validation and authentication logic within the login form implementation. The technical flaw likely involves insufficient sanitization of user input parameters or flawed session management that allows malformed or empty authentication requests to be processed as valid login attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, specifically targeting weak or missing authentication controls that permit unauthorized access to protected systems. The flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with credential stuffing or authentication bypass techniques that exploit implementation weaknesses rather than cryptographic vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted across multiple attack vectors. An attacker could exploit this weakness to gain full administrative access to helpdesk systems, potentially leading to data breaches, unauthorized system modifications, or complete service disruption. The vulnerability affects organizations relying on ServiceTonic Helpdesk for ticket management, user support, and system administration tasks, making it particularly dangerous for enterprises that depend on these platforms for critical business operations. This flaw enables attackers to perform privilege escalation attacks, access sensitive customer information, and potentially use the compromised system as a foothold for further network infiltration.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including immediate patching to version 9.0.35937 or later to address the root cause of the authentication bypass. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as account lockout mechanisms, enhanced monitoring of login attempts, and network segmentation to limit the potential impact of exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and authentication flow testing as outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the credential access and privilege escalation domains. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify similar authentication flaws in other systems and implement robust monitoring solutions to detect anomalous login patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.