CVE-2021-46270 in Artifactory
Summary
by MITRE • 03/03/2022
JFrog Artifactory before 7.31.10, is vulnerable to Broken Access Control where a project admin user is able to list all available repository names due to insufficient permission validation.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/04/2022
JFrog Artifactory versions prior to 7.31.10 contain a critical broken access control vulnerability that allows project administrators to enumerate all repository names within the system. This vulnerability stems from insufficient permission validation mechanisms that fail to properly restrict access to repository metadata. The flaw exists in the application's authorization framework where project administrators can bypass normal access controls to discover repository names that should be restricted to specific user roles or groups.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a failure in the principle of least privilege enforcement within the Artifactory access control model. When a project administrator makes requests to the repository listing endpoints, the system does not adequately verify whether the requesting user has legitimate authorization to access the complete repository catalog. This represents a direct violation of CWE-284 which addresses improper access control mechanisms. The vulnerability enables information disclosure by allowing unauthorized enumeration of repository names that may contain sensitive project information, deployment targets, or system architecture details that could aid attackers in planning subsequent attacks.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability significantly impacts security posture by providing attackers with comprehensive knowledge of the repository landscape. The ability to list all repository names exposes potential attack vectors including identifying repositories with sensitive artifacts, discovering development environments, and mapping out system architecture. This information disclosure can facilitate more sophisticated attacks such as privilege escalation attempts, where attackers might target specific repositories with known vulnerabilities or misconfigurations. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1087.001 which covers account discovery through enumeration of system resources.
The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it creates opportunities for further exploitation within the supply chain attack surface. Project administrators who should only have access to specific project repositories can potentially discover and target other repositories that may contain different security configurations or less stringent access controls. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely on Artifactory for managing multiple projects and repositories where proper segregation of access rights is critical for maintaining security boundaries. The lack of proper permission validation creates a persistent threat vector that remains active until the vulnerability is patched.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to JFrog Artifactory version 7.31.10 or later, which contains the necessary access control fixes. Additional defensive measures include implementing network segmentation to limit access to Artifactory endpoints, enforcing strict monitoring of repository enumeration requests, and conducting regular access control reviews to ensure proper privilege assignment. Security teams should also consider implementing automated scanning tools to detect unauthorized repository enumeration attempts and establish incident response procedures for potential exploitation of this vulnerability. The fix addresses the root cause by implementing proper permission validation checks that ensure users can only access repository information for which they have explicit authorization.