CVE-2024-49825 in Robotic Process Automation
Summary
by MITRE • 04/14/2025
IBM Robotic Process Automation and Robotic Process Automation for Cloud Pak 21.0.0 through 21.0.7.20 and 23.0.0 through 23.0.20 does not invalidate session after a logout which could allow an authenticated user to impersonate another user on the system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/19/2025
This vulnerability affects IBM Robotic Process Automation and Robotic Process Automation for Cloud Pak versions 21.0.0 through 21.0.7.20 and 23.0.0 through 23.0.20 where the system fails to properly invalidate user sessions upon logout. The flaw represents a critical session management weakness that directly violates security best practices and industry standards such as those outlined in CWE-613. When a user logs out of the system, the session token or identifier remains active in memory or on the server, allowing unauthorized access to the authenticated user's privileges and data. This creates a persistent security risk where an attacker could potentially reuse valid session tokens to impersonate legitimate users. The vulnerability specifically impacts the authentication and session management components of the robotic process automation platform, which is designed to automate business processes and handle sensitive enterprise data. The persistence of session identifiers after logout enables what is known as session fixation or session hijacking attacks, where an attacker can maintain access to a user's authenticated session without requiring additional credentials. This issue is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where RPA systems often handle critical business processes and sensitive data. The security implications extend beyond simple unauthorized access to include potential data breaches, privilege escalation, and unauthorized system modifications.
The technical implementation flaw stems from improper session invalidation mechanisms within the application's authentication flow. When users perform logout operations, the system should immediately invalidate all associated session tokens, clear session data from memory, and remove any persistent identifiers. However, in affected versions, this cleanup process fails to execute correctly, leaving session state intact. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1548.003 which covers abuse of session management and T1566.002 related to credential access through session hijacking. The failure to properly invalidate sessions represents a fundamental flaw in the application's security architecture, particularly in how it handles user authentication lifecycle management. The vulnerability exists at the application layer and affects the core authentication services that manage user access and authorization within the RPA environment. Attackers could exploit this by capturing valid session tokens during legitimate use or by leveraging the persistence of session identifiers to maintain access to privileged accounts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations using IBM RPA systems, as it creates a persistent backdoor for unauthorized access. Once an attacker gains access to a valid session token, they can continue to operate within the system with the privileges of the compromised user, potentially accessing sensitive business processes, data, and system configurations. This vulnerability undermines the integrity of the authentication system and can lead to unauthorized process execution, data manipulation, and privilege escalation attacks. Organizations may experience unauthorized access to automated workflows that handle critical business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, compliance violations, and reputational damage. The vulnerability affects the availability and confidentiality of automated business processes, as attackers can maintain persistent access without detection. Additionally, the persistence of session tokens makes it difficult for security monitoring systems to detect unauthorized access, as legitimate session activity continues under the guise of authorized users. This creates a false sense of security and allows attackers to operate undetected for extended periods.
Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided security patches or updates to address this session invalidation vulnerability. The mitigation strategy should include implementing proper session management protocols that ensure complete session invalidation upon logout operations. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any active sessions that may have been compromised due to this vulnerability. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual session behavior and potential session hijacking attempts. The implementation of additional security controls such as session timeout mechanisms, multi-factor authentication, and regular session auditing can help reduce the risk associated with this vulnerability. Organizations should also review their access control policies and ensure that privileged accounts are subject to additional security measures. The remediation process should include verifying that session invalidation occurs correctly after logout operations and that no session tokens persist in memory or on the server after authentication termination. Regular security testing should be performed to validate that the session management implementation properly handles authentication lifecycle events. Compliance requirements such as those outlined in iso 27001 and nist cyber security framework should be considered when implementing these security controls to ensure proper governance and risk management.