CVE-2024-27139 in Archiva
Summary
by MITRE • 03/01/2024
** UNSUPPORTED WHEN ASSIGNED ** Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Apache Archiva: a vulnerability in Apache Archiva allows an unauthenticated attacker to modify account data, potentially leading to account takeover. This issue affects Apache Archiva: from 2.0.0. As this project is retired, we do not plan to release a version that fixes this issue. Users are recommended to find an alternative or restrict access to the instance to trusted users. NOTE: This vulnerability only affects products that are no longer supported by the maintainer.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/02/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-27139 represents a critical authorization flaw within Apache Archiva, a widely used repository manager for managing artifacts in software development environments. This issue stems from improper access control mechanisms that allow unauthenticated attackers to manipulate account data without requiring valid credentials or authentication. The vulnerability specifically affects Apache Archiva versions starting from 2.0.0, making it a long-standing concern that has persisted through multiple iterations of the software. The nature of this flaw constitutes a direct violation of the principle of least privilege, where unauthorized parties can gain elevated access to user account information and potentially execute account takeover operations. According to CWE standards, this vulnerability maps to CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization within software systems, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts, as the attacker can effectively assume control of legitimate user accounts through the exploitation of this authorization bypass.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the lack of proper authentication checks within the application's account management functions. When users attempt to access or modify account data through the application's API endpoints or web interface, the system fails to validate whether the requesting party possesses legitimate authorization rights. This absence of proper authorization validation creates a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate account information, potentially altering user credentials, permissions, or other sensitive account attributes. The impact extends beyond simple data modification as the vulnerability could enable attackers to escalate privileges, create new administrative accounts, or completely compromise user identities within the repository management system. The flaw demonstrates a fundamental breakdown in the application's security architecture, where the authorization layer fails to properly authenticate and authorize all requests to account-related functionality, creating an attack surface that remains accessible to anyone who can reach the application's interface.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability are severe for organizations relying on Apache Archiva for their artifact management needs. Given that the application typically stores sensitive information about software dependencies, build artifacts, and user credentials, unauthorized modification of account data can lead to complete system compromise. Attackers could potentially gain access to proprietary code repositories, modify build configurations, or manipulate access controls to gain broader system access. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple versions of the software means that organizations with legacy installations remain at risk, particularly those that have not migrated away from the retired product. This situation creates a significant challenge for security teams as they must balance the need for immediate remediation against the reality that no official patch exists for this unsupported software. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it affects the core authentication and authorization mechanisms, potentially allowing attackers to establish persistent access to the repository environment.
Organizations currently utilizing Apache Archiva must implement immediate compensating controls to mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability. The recommended approach involves restricting physical and network access to the Archiva instance to trusted users only, implementing strict firewall rules, and establishing network segmentation to limit exposure. Additional protective measures should include monitoring for unauthorized access attempts, implementing intrusion detection systems, and conducting regular security assessments of the repository environment. The vulnerability's classification as affecting unsupported software means that organizations should prioritize migration to supported alternatives such as Nexus Repository, Artifactory, or other modern repository management solutions. Security teams should also consider implementing additional authentication layers, such as multi-factor authentication, and establishing comprehensive audit trails to detect potential exploitation attempts. The lack of official patches for this vulnerability underscores the importance of proactive migration strategies and the necessity of maintaining current software versions to avoid exposure to known security flaws. Organizations should also review their software inventory to identify any other unsupported applications that may present similar security risks and develop a comprehensive retirement and replacement strategy for legacy systems.