CVE-2024-4286 in anything-llm
Summary
by MITRE • 05/27/2024
Mintplex-Labs' anything-llm application is vulnerable to improper neutralization of special elements used in an expression language statement, identified in the commit id `57984fa85c31988b2eff429adfc654c46e0c342a`. The vulnerability arises from the application's handling of user modifications by managers or admins, allowing for the modification of all existing attributes of the `user` database entity without proper checks or sanitization. This flaw can be exploited to delete user threads, denying users access to their previously submitted data, or to inject fake threads and/or chat history for social engineering attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/27/2024
The vulnerability identified in CVE-2024-4286 represents a critical security flaw within Mintplex-Labs' anything-llm application that stems from improper neutralization of special elements in expression language statements. This weakness manifests in the application's failure to properly validate and sanitize user input when administrators or managers modify user database entities. The vulnerability specifically affects the user database entity where all existing attributes can be modified without adequate access controls or data sanitization measures, creating a dangerous attack surface that directly violates fundamental security principles of input validation and privilege management.
This security weakness falls under the CWE-74 category of Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component, commonly known as injection flaws. The vulnerability enables unauthorized modification of user data through administrative interfaces, allowing malicious actors with manager or admin privileges to manipulate user threads and chat history. The commit reference 57984fa85c31988b2eff429adfc654c46e0c342a indicates a specific code change that introduced this flaw, likely involving insufficient input validation in the user management functionality. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique where an attacker with limited administrative access can leverage the vulnerability to perform unauthorized modifications to user data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data modification to encompass significant privacy and integrity concerns. Attackers can delete user threads, effectively removing access to previously submitted data and creating denial of service conditions for legitimate users. More concerning is the potential for social engineering attacks through the injection of fake threads and chat history, which could be used to manipulate user behavior or compromise the trust relationship between users and the application. This vulnerability undermines the application's data integrity and can be exploited to create false narratives or misleading information within the chat history, potentially affecting decision-making processes or user trust in the system.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and sanitization mechanisms throughout the application's data handling processes. The application must enforce strict access controls and privilege checks before allowing any modifications to user database entities, ensuring that administrative actions are properly authenticated and authorized. Implementing proper parameterized queries and expression language sanitization techniques will prevent malicious input from being executed as code. Additionally, the application should implement audit logging for all user data modifications, providing visibility into unauthorized changes and enabling rapid incident response. Regular security code reviews and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other parts of the application's codebase, particularly in areas handling user input and administrative functions.