CVE-2024-52872 in Flagsmith
Summary
by MITRE • 11/17/2024
In Flagsmith before 2.134.1, the get_document endpoint is not correctly protected by permissions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/19/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-52872 affects Flagsmith versions prior to 2.134.1, where the get_document endpoint lacks proper permission controls. This represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the security posture of the platform. The issue stems from insufficient authorization checks within the document retrieval functionality, allowing unauthorized users to access sensitive documents that should be restricted to specific roles or permissions. Such a vulnerability directly violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and access control enforcement, creating potential pathways for data leakage and unauthorized information disclosure.
The technical implementation flaw manifests in the get_document endpoint where the system fails to validate user credentials against appropriate permission levels before serving document content. This misconfiguration enables attackers to bypass normal access controls through direct API requests or by exploiting weaknesses in the authentication flow. The vulnerability can be classified under CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, specifically targeting the absence of proper access control mechanisms. From an operational perspective, this flaw allows malicious actors to retrieve confidential documents, potentially including sensitive configuration data, user information, or proprietary content that should remain protected within the Flagsmith environment.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can facilitate further attack vectors within the compromised system. An attacker who successfully exploits this weakness can gain unauthorized access to documents that may contain sensitive organizational data, configuration details, or other assets that could be leveraged for additional attacks. The vulnerability creates opportunities for privilege escalation, lateral movement, and comprehensive data exfiltration within the affected environment. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213, which covers data from information repositories, and demonstrates how weak access controls can enable adversaries to obtain valuable intelligence.
Organizations utilizing Flagsmith versions prior to 2.134.1 should immediately implement the available patch to address this vulnerability. The remediation process involves ensuring proper authentication and authorization checks are enforced at the get_document endpoint, implementing role-based access controls, and validating user permissions before document retrieval operations. Security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of all API endpoints to identify similar access control weaknesses, implement proper logging and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts, and establish regular security assessments to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in the future. Additionally, organizations should review their overall access control policies and ensure that all endpoints follow secure coding practices that enforce proper authorization checks as outlined in industry standards such as the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks.