CVE-2023-4107 in Mattermost
Summary
by MITRE • 08/11/2023
Mattermost fails to properly validate the requesting user permissions when updating a system admin, allowing a user manager to update a system admin's details such as email, first name and last name.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/08/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-4107 represents a critical access control flaw within the Mattermost collaboration platform that directly undermines the security boundaries designed to protect privileged system administrator accounts. This issue stems from insufficient validation of user permissions during administrative update operations, creating a privilege escalation vector that could be exploited by users with manager-level access. The flaw specifically affects the system administration functionality where user managers can manipulate the personal details of system administrators without proper authorization checks, potentially enabling attackers to gain deeper insights into administrative accounts or manipulate their credentials.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the authentication and authorization validation mechanisms within Mattermost's administrative interface. When a user manager attempts to update system administrator details, the platform fails to verify whether the requesting user possesses the necessary elevated privileges to perform such operations. This validation gap allows for unauthorized modification of sensitive administrative account information including email addresses, first names, and last names. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues, specifically manifesting as insufficient authorization checks during administrative operations. The flaw demonstrates a classic case of privilege escalation where lower-privileged users can manipulate higher-privileged accounts through indirect means, bypassing the intended security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential manipulation and represents a significant risk to organizational security posture. Attackers with manager-level access could potentially use this vulnerability to gather intelligence about system administrators, create confusion through credential changes, or establish persistence by modifying administrative account information. The ability to modify email addresses particularly poses risks for security notifications and account recovery processes, potentially disrupting legitimate administrative workflows. This vulnerability also creates opportunities for social engineering attacks where attackers could use modified administrator details to impersonate legitimate users. The risk is further amplified in environments where Mattermost serves as a primary communication platform for security-sensitive operations.
Organizations utilizing Mattermost should immediately implement mitigations to address this vulnerability through proper access control enforcement and privilege validation. The recommended approach involves strengthening the permission validation logic to ensure that administrative account modifications can only be performed by users with appropriate system administrator privileges. Security teams should conduct comprehensive access control reviews to identify and remediate similar issues across other administrative functions within the platform. Implementation of proper logging and monitoring for administrative account modifications becomes critical to detect unauthorized activities. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing role-based access control measures that align with the principle of least privilege, ensuring that users have only the permissions necessary for their specific roles. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining robust security controls around privileged accounts and demonstrates the necessity of regular security assessments to identify and remediate access control weaknesses that could be exploited by malicious actors.