CVE-2024-47529 in cosmos Open Source Edition
Summary
by MITRE • 10/02/2024
OpenC3 COSMOS provides the functionality needed to send commands to and receive data from one or more embedded systems. OpenC3 COSMOS stores the password of a user unencrypted in the LocalStorage of a web browser. This makes the user password susceptible to exfiltration via Cross-site scripting (see GHSL-2024-128). This vulnerability is fixed in 5.19.0. This only affects Open Source edition, and not OpenC3 COSMOS Enterprise Edition.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/13/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-47529 affects OpenC3 COSMOS, a system designed for commanding and controlling embedded systems through web-based interfaces. This platform enables users to interact with multiple embedded systems simultaneously, making it a critical component in space exploration and mission control environments. The security flaw lies in how the system handles user authentication credentials within the web browser environment. Specifically, user passwords are stored in the browser's LocalStorage mechanism without any encryption or obfuscation, creating a fundamental security weakness that directly violates established web security best practices. The vulnerability represents a significant oversight in credential management, as LocalStorage is inherently susceptible to various attack vectors that can compromise stored data.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through Cross-site scripting attacks, which aligns with the GitHub Security Lab's findings referenced in the vulnerability description. When an attacker successfully executes XSS payloads against the OpenC3 COSMOS web interface, they can access the browser's LocalStorage and extract the unencrypted user passwords. This attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires minimal privileges and can be executed through various means such as malicious web content, compromised third-party libraries, or social engineering attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates a clear failure in implementing proper input validation and output encoding, which are fundamental security controls that should prevent malicious scripts from accessing sensitive data stored in client-side storage mechanisms. This weakness directly maps to CWE-312 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information) and CWE-79 (Cross-site Scripting) in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog, highlighting the dual nature of this security flaw.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it fundamentally undermines the security posture of any system relying on OpenC3 COSMOS for embedded system control. In mission-critical environments where these systems are deployed, compromised credentials could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive operations, potential mission failure, or even safety hazards if the embedded systems control critical infrastructure. The vulnerability affects only the open source edition of the software, which suggests that commercial enterprise editions may have implemented additional security controls or different credential storage mechanisms. However, this distinction does not mitigate the risk for organizations using the open source version, as they remain exposed to the same exploitation vectors. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning given that the affected systems are typically used in high-stakes environments where security is paramount, making this a critical issue that requires immediate attention from system administrators and security teams.
The remediation for this vulnerability involves upgrading to version 5.19.0 of OpenC3 COSMOS, which includes the necessary security fixes to address the credential storage issue. Organizations using the open source edition should prioritize this upgrade as a critical security measure to prevent potential exploitation. Additionally, system administrators should conduct thorough security assessments of their web applications to identify any other instances of cleartext credential storage or similar vulnerabilities. The fix likely involves implementing proper encryption of sensitive data stored in LocalStorage or utilizing more secure storage mechanisms such as HTTP-only cookies with secure flags. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of following security guidelines such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, particularly in areas related to secure coding practices and credential management. Organizations should also implement additional security controls including Content Security Policy headers, regular security testing, and comprehensive monitoring to detect and prevent potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the critical need for proper input sanitization and output encoding in web applications to prevent XSS attacks that could lead to credential compromise and unauthorized system access.