CVE-2024-38367 in CocoaPods
Summary
by MITRE • 07/02/2024
trunk.cocoapods.org is the authentication server for the CoacoaPods dependency manager. Prior to commit d4fa66f49cedab449af9a56a21ab40697b9f7b97, the trunk sessions verification step could be manipulated for owner session hijacking Compromising a victim’s session will result in a full takeover of the CocoaPods trunk account. The threat actor could manipulate their pod specifications, disrupt the distribution of legitimate libraries, or cause widespread disruption within the CocoaPods ecosystem. This was patched server-side with commit d4fa66f49cedab449af9a56a21ab40697b9f7b97 in October 2023.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/21/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-38367 represents a critical session management flaw within the CocoaPods trunk authentication system that enabled unauthorized account takeover through session hijacking. This issue affected trunk.cocoapods.org, which serves as the central authentication server for the CocoaPods dependency management system used extensively across iOS and macOS development environments. The vulnerability stemmed from insufficient validation during the session verification process, allowing malicious actors to manipulate authentication tokens and assume legitimate user identities. The flaw specifically targeted the session handling mechanism that verifies user credentials and maintains authenticated sessions within the CocoaPods ecosystem. Security researchers discovered that prior to the remediation commit d4fa66f49cedab449af9a56a21ab40697b9f7b97, the system failed to properly validate session tokens during the verification step, creating a pathway for session manipulation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-305 authentication bypass weaknesses and represents a significant operational risk within the software supply chain. When exploited, the vulnerability allowed threat actors to hijack existing user sessions without requiring valid credentials, effectively granting them full administrative privileges over compromised CocoaPods accounts. The impact extended beyond individual account compromise to potentially affect the entire CocoaPods ecosystem, as authenticated users could manipulate pod specifications, inject malicious code into legitimate libraries, or disrupt the distribution of trusted dependencies. This type of vulnerability falls under ATT&CK technique T1548.003 for abuse of SAML/SSO, though adapted to the specific authentication flow of the CocoaPods system. The flaw essentially created a backdoor that bypassed normal authentication controls, enabling persistent access to user accounts and their associated privileges.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability were severe given CocoaPods' widespread adoption in mobile development workflows. Compromised accounts could lead to supply chain attacks where malicious actors modified popular libraries to include backdoors or malware, affecting thousands of applications that depend on these dependencies. The potential for disruption extended to legitimate software distribution, as attackers could manipulate pod metadata, create false versions of popular libraries, or cause build failures across development environments. The patch implemented in October 2023 addressed the core issue by strengthening session verification mechanisms and ensuring proper token validation during authentication flows. This remediation aligns with security best practices for session management and helps protect against similar vulnerabilities in dependency management systems. The fix likely involved implementing more robust token validation, proper session lifecycle management, and enhanced cryptographic verification of authentication tokens to prevent manipulation of the session verification process.