CVE-2021-36097 in OTRS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/18/2021
Agents are able to lock the ticket without the "Owner" permission. Once the ticket is locked, it could be moved to the queue where the agent has "rw" permissions and gain a full control. This issue affects: OTRS AG OTRS 8.0.x version: 8.0.16 and prior versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2021
This vulnerability resides within the OTRS AG OTRS ticketing system, specifically affecting version 8.0.16 and prior releases. The flaw represents a critical access control weakness that allows unauthorized agents to manipulate ticket ownership and permissions, fundamentally undermining the system's security model. The vulnerability manifests through a privilege escalation vector that bypasses normal access controls, enabling malicious actors to gain elevated privileges within the ticketing environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate permission validation mechanisms within the ticket locking functionality. When an agent executes a lock operation on a ticket, the system fails to properly verify whether the agent possesses the necessary "Owner" permissions required for such an action. This oversight creates a path where any agent, regardless of their actual ticket ownership status, can lock tickets and subsequently exploit the system's permission model to gain full administrative control over those tickets. The flaw operates through a combination of insufficient input validation and improper access control checks that should normally prevent unauthorized ticket manipulation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it enables attackers to bypass the intended security boundaries of the ticketing system. Once an agent successfully locks a ticket, they can move it to queues where they possess read-write permissions, effectively granting them complete control over that ticket's lifecycle. This includes the ability to modify ticket content, assign ownership, add comments, and perform administrative actions that should be restricted to authorized personnel. The vulnerability essentially allows for unauthorized privilege escalation, potentially enabling attackers to access sensitive information, manipulate ticket workflows, and compromise the integrity of the entire ticketing system.
Organizations utilizing affected OTRS versions face significant risks including data exposure, unauthorized access to confidential information, and potential disruption of business processes that depend on the ticketing system's integrity. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond individual ticket manipulation to potentially compromise the entire ticketing infrastructure's trust model. Security practitioners should consider this issue in the context of privilege escalation attacks and evaluate their existing access control policies to identify potential exploitation vectors. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege that should govern all access control systems.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to the latest available versions of OTRS AG OTRS 8.0.x that address this specific vulnerability. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring and logging of ticket locking operations to detect anomalous behavior patterns. Access control reviews should be conducted to ensure that agents only possess the minimum necessary permissions for their roles, and that ticket ownership rules are properly enforced. Network segmentation and additional authentication controls should be considered as defensive measures to limit the potential impact if exploitation occurs. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper access control implementation and the need for regular security assessments of permission systems within enterprise applications.