CVE-2022-24306 in SharePoint Manager Plus
Summary
by MITRE • 03/02/2022
Zoho ManageEngine SharePoint Manager Plus before 4329 allows account takeover because authorization is mishandled.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/04/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-24306 affects Zoho ManageEngine SharePoint Manager Plus version 4329 and earlier, representing a critical authorization flaw that enables unauthorized account takeover. This issue stems from improper handling of authentication and authorization mechanisms within the application's security framework, creating a pathway for malicious actors to assume control of user accounts without proper credentials. The vulnerability exists in the application's session management and privilege escalation controls, which fail to adequately validate user permissions and maintain secure authentication states throughout the application lifecycle.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the application's flawed authorization logic where session tokens and user privileges are not properly validated during critical operations. Attackers can exploit this weakness by manipulating authentication flows or leveraging existing session information to gain elevated privileges within the SharePoint Manager Plus environment. This misconfiguration allows unauthorized access to administrative functions and sensitive data within the managed SharePoint environments, as the system fails to enforce proper access controls and privilege boundaries. The flaw particularly impacts the application's ability to maintain secure session states and validate user entitlements, creating persistent security weaknesses that can be exploited across multiple user sessions and authentication contexts.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-24306 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as successful exploitation can lead to complete compromise of the SharePoint Manager Plus environment. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform actions such as creating or modifying user accounts, accessing confidential data, modifying SharePoint configurations, and potentially gaining access to underlying SharePoint servers and their associated resources. This account takeover capability represents a significant threat to organizations relying on ManageEngine for SharePoint administration, as it undermines the integrity of their security controls and can result in data breaches, unauthorized modifications, and potential lateral movement within network environments. The vulnerability's persistence across sessions means that once exploited, the attacker can maintain access without requiring repeated exploitation attempts.
Organizations should immediately update to Zoho ManageEngine SharePoint Manager Plus version 4329 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as this represents the official patch addressing the authorization mishandling issue. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and monitoring for suspicious authentication patterns can help detect exploitation attempts. Security teams should conduct thorough audits of user permissions and session management configurations to identify any potential unauthorized access that may have occurred. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting, demonstrating how this flaw can be leveraged in broader attack campaigns. Organizations should also review their access control policies and implement additional security controls such as multi-factor authentication and privileged access management solutions to reduce the impact of such vulnerabilities.