CVE-2024-0879 in vector-admin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/25/2024
Authentication bypass in vector-admin allows a user to register to a vector-admin server while “domain restriction” is active, even when not owning an authorized email address.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/18/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-0879 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw within vector-admin server implementations that directly undermines the security controls designed to restrict user registration based on domain ownership. This weakness allows unauthorized users to circumvent domain restriction policies that should normally prevent registration attempts from email addresses not belonging to approved domains. The flaw occurs within the server's registration validation logic where the system fails to properly enforce domain-based access controls during the user registration process.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and authentication flow control within the vector-admin server architecture. When domain restriction is enabled as a security measure, the system should verify that incoming registration requests originate from email addresses that match or are authorized within the configured domain whitelist. However, the flaw permits registration attempts from unauthorized email addresses by bypassing this validation check. This type of vulnerability typically falls under CWE-287 which addresses authentication bypass issues, and may also relate to CWE-305 which covers authentication bypass through flawed implementation. The vulnerability manifests as a failure in the server's access control mechanism to properly validate user credentials or registration requests against established domain restrictions.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-0879 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it creates a pathway for malicious actors to establish accounts within systems that should be restricted to specific organizational domains. This could enable attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information, services, or resources that are protected by domain-based access controls. The vulnerability particularly affects environments where vector-admin servers are used for managing user access to enterprise resources, cloud services, or collaborative platforms where domain restriction serves as a fundamental security boundary. Attackers could exploit this flaw to register multiple accounts from unauthorized domains, potentially leading to privilege escalation, data exfiltration, or further exploitation of the compromised system.
Security professionals should prioritize immediate remediation of this vulnerability through patching or implementing compensating controls that ensure domain restriction policies are properly enforced during registration processes. The recommended mitigation strategies include validating email domain ownership during registration, implementing proper access control checks before account creation, and ensuring that authentication flows properly validate user credentials against configured domain restrictions. Organizations should also consider implementing additional monitoring and logging of registration attempts to detect potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts usage, and may also relate to T1566 which covers credential harvesting through social engineering or authentication bypass methods. The fix should address the core validation logic to ensure that domain restriction policies are enforced at all registration stages, preventing unauthorized users from circumventing these security controls through the authentication bypass mechanism.