CVE-2022-38180 in Ktor
Summary
by MITRE • 08/12/2022
In JetBrains Ktor before 2.1.0 the wrong authentication provider could be selected in some cases
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/12/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-38180 affects JetBrains Ktor versions prior to 2100, specifically addressing a critical issue in the authentication mechanism implementation. This flaw represents a significant security weakness that could potentially allow unauthorized access to applications built using the Ktor framework. The vulnerability stems from an incorrect selection of authentication providers under certain conditions, creating a scenario where the system might employ an unintended authentication method rather than the explicitly configured one.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the authentication provider selection logic within the Ktor framework's security implementation. When multiple authentication providers are configured within an application, the system should consistently utilize the provider explicitly designated by the developer. However, due to flawed logic in version 2.0.0 and earlier, the framework could inadvertently select a different authentication provider, potentially one that is less secure or configured incorrectly. This misselection occurs during the authentication process when the system evaluates which provider to use based on incoming requests, leading to unpredictable behavior where the intended security controls may be bypassed or circumvented.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-38180 extends beyond simple authentication failures, potentially enabling attackers to exploit the misconfigured authentication flow to gain unauthorized access to protected resources. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and could be leveraged to perform privilege escalation or unauthorized data access within applications that rely on Ktor's authentication mechanisms. Attackers could potentially manipulate the authentication flow to bypass security controls, particularly in applications where multiple authentication methods are configured, such as those supporting both basic authentication and token-based authentication simultaneously. The vulnerability creates a path for attackers to exploit the framework's authentication logic, potentially leading to complete system compromise if the misselected provider has weaker security properties than the intended one.
This vulnerability demonstrates a critical flaw in the principle of least privilege and proper access control implementation within the Ktor framework. The improper authentication provider selection creates a situation where security controls are not properly enforced, potentially allowing attackers to authenticate using methods that were not intended for the application's security model. Organizations using Ktor versions prior to 2.1.0 should immediately assess their applications for potential exposure to this vulnerability, particularly those that implement multiple authentication methods or rely heavily on the framework's built-in security features. The issue represents a failure in the authentication flow's integrity, where the system's decision-making process for authentication provider selection does not properly validate or enforce the developer's intended security configuration.
Mitigation efforts should focus on upgrading to JetBrains Ktor version 2.1.0 or later, which contains the necessary fixes to address the authentication provider selection logic. Additionally, organizations should implement comprehensive security testing that includes authentication flow validation to ensure that the intended authentication providers are consistently selected. Security teams should conduct thorough audits of their Ktor-based applications to identify any configurations that might be vulnerable to this specific authentication provider misselection issue. The fix implemented in version 2.1.0 addresses the core logic error in the authentication provider resolution mechanism, ensuring that the explicitly configured authentication method is properly enforced rather than allowing the system to select an alternative provider based on flawed selection criteria. This vulnerability highlights the importance of proper authentication flow implementation and the potential consequences of inadequate validation in security-critical framework components, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential stuffing attacks that could exploit such misconfigurations.