CVE-2024-46293 in Online Medicine Ordering System
Summary
by MITRE • 09/30/2024
Sourcecodester Online Medicine Ordering System 1.0 is vulnerable to Incorrect Access Control. There is a lack of authorization checks for admin operations. Specifically, an attacker can perform admin-level actions without possessing a valid session token. The application does not verify whether the user is logged in as an admin or even check for a session token at all.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/01/2024
The CVE-2024-46293 vulnerability affects the Sourcecodester Online Medicine Ordering System version 1.0, presenting a critical access control flaw that fundamentally undermines the application's security model. This vulnerability resides in the application's authentication and authorization mechanisms, where the system fails to implement proper session validation and privilege checking for administrative functions. The flaw represents a classic case of insufficient authorization checks, which is categorized under CWE-285, specifically addressing improper authorization within software systems. The vulnerability manifests when administrative operations are accessible without any form of session token verification or user authentication, creating an open door for unauthorized individuals to execute privileged actions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of mandatory session validation routines within the application's administrative endpoints. When legitimate administrative users attempt to access restricted functionalities, the system should verify their authenticated status and administrative privileges before granting access. However, in this case, the application processes administrative requests without confirming whether the requesting user possesses a valid session token or has been authenticated as an administrator. This absence of access control validation creates a pathway for attackers to directly invoke administrative functions through crafted requests or by exploiting the exposed administrative interfaces.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it allows attackers to assume administrative privileges without proper authentication. An attacker can perform actions such as modifying user accounts, accessing sensitive medical data, altering product information, managing orders, and potentially compromising the entire system's integrity. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 which involves valid accounts and privilege escalation, as attackers can leverage this flaw to gain unauthorized administrative access without needing legitimate credentials. The implications extend beyond simple unauthorized access, as the attacker can manipulate the core business logic of the medicine ordering system, potentially leading to data breaches, financial fraud, and compromise of patient medical information.
The remediation strategy for this vulnerability requires immediate implementation of robust session management and authorization checks throughout the application. All administrative endpoints must enforce mandatory session validation using secure session tokens that are generated upon successful authentication and validated on each request. The system should implement proper role-based access control mechanisms that verify user privileges before executing administrative operations. Additionally, the application should log all administrative actions for audit purposes and implement rate limiting to prevent automated exploitation attempts. Security headers should be configured to prevent session hijacking, and session tokens should be properly invalidated upon logout or after a period of inactivity. This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of implementing defense-in-depth security measures and proper access control validation as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten security principles.