CVE-2024-55076 in Grocy
Summary
by MITRE • 01/06/2025
Grocy through 4.3.0 has no CSRF protection, as demonstrated by changing the Administrator's password.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/05/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-55076 affects Grocy versions through 4.3.0 and represents a critical security flaw related to the absence of Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) protection mechanisms. This vulnerability specifically allows attackers to manipulate administrative functions without proper authorization, most notably demonstrated through unauthorized password changes to administrator accounts. The lack of CSRF protection creates a fundamental weakness in the application's security architecture, enabling malicious actors to exploit user sessions and perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users.
This vulnerability stems from the application's failure to implement proper CSRF token validation within its web forms and API endpoints that modify user privileges or sensitive account settings. The absence of anti-CSRF measures means that attackers can craft malicious requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, will be processed without verification of the user's intent. The vulnerability manifests when an attacker constructs a request that targets the password change functionality, which can be delivered through social engineering techniques or by exploiting existing user sessions. According to CWE-352, this represents a classic Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability where the application fails to validate that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same origin.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-55076 extends beyond simple password changes, as it provides attackers with a potential foothold for further exploitation within the Grocy application ecosystem. Once an attacker gains administrative control through unauthorized password modification, they can access all administrative functions including user management, data modification, system configuration changes, and potentially escalate privileges to gain deeper access to underlying systems. The vulnerability is particularly concerning for organizations that rely on Grocy for critical operational functions, as it could lead to complete system compromise and unauthorized data access or manipulation. This weakness directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of the application's data, as demonstrated through the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and credential access techniques.
Organizations utilizing Grocy versions through 4.3.0 should immediately implement mitigations including the deployment of CSRF tokens for all state-changing operations, implementing proper origin validation checks, and ensuring that all administrative functions require explicit user confirmation. The recommended approach involves adding unique, unpredictable tokens to each form submission and API request that modifies sensitive data or user privileges. Additionally, implementing proper session management practices and ensuring that administrative actions require multi-factor authentication can significantly reduce the risk associated with this vulnerability. The fix should be implemented in accordance with security best practices outlined in OWASP's CSRF prevention guidelines and should include comprehensive testing to ensure that all administrative endpoints properly validate request authenticity. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious activities that may indicate CSRF attack attempts.