CVE-2025-24968 in rengine
Summary
by MITRE • 02/04/2025
reNgine is an automated reconnaissance framework for web applications. An unrestricted project deletion vulnerability allows attackers with specific roles, such as `penetration_tester` or `auditor` to delete all projects in the system. This can lead to a complete system takeover by redirecting the attacker to the onboarding page, where they can add or modify users, including Sys Admins, and configure critical settings like API keys and user preferences. This issue affects all versions up to and including 2.20. Users are advised to monitor the project for future releases which address this issue. There are no known workarounds.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/14/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-24968 represents a critical authorization flaw within reNgine, an automated reconnaissance framework designed for web application security testing. This unrestricted project deletion vulnerability exists at the core of the application's access control mechanisms, allowing attackers who have been granted specific user roles such as penetration_tester or auditor to execute destructive operations that extend far beyond their intended privileges. The flaw manifests as a complete breakdown in the principle of least privilege, where users with limited access rights can perform system-wide deletions that compromise the entire infrastructure.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and authorization checks within the project deletion functionality. When authenticated users with roles of penetration_tester or auditor attempt to delete projects, the system fails to properly verify whether these users possess the necessary administrative permissions to perform such operations. This authorization bypass creates a path for privilege escalation where malicious actors can leverage their existing credentials to remove all projects from the system. The vulnerability maps directly to CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization in software systems, and represents a classic case of insufficient access control validation. The flaw exists across all versions of reNgine up to and including version 2.20, indicating a persistent issue that has not been adequately addressed in the codebase.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and potentially catastrophic for organizations relying on reNgine for their security testing operations. When an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can delete all projects within the system, effectively rendering the entire reconnaissance framework unusable for legitimate security testing activities. Beyond the immediate destruction of project data, the vulnerability enables a complete system takeover through a secondary attack vector. The attacker can redirect themselves to the onboarding page, where they gain access to administrative functions that allow them to add or modify users, including system administrators. This creates a persistent threat where attackers can establish their own administrative presence within the system, potentially configuring critical settings such as API keys and user preferences to maintain long-term access and control.
The attack surface and potential exploitation pathways align with several tactics outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly focusing on privilege escalation and persistence techniques. The vulnerability enables an attacker to move laterally within the system by leveraging their initial compromised role to gain administrative access, which then allows for the establishment of persistent backdoors through user account manipulation. This represents a significant concern for organizations that depend on reNgine for their security operations, as the vulnerability essentially provides a pathway for attackers to completely subvert the security testing environment. The lack of known workarounds forces organizations to rely entirely on patching and updating to remediate the issue, creating a window of opportunity for exploitation while waiting for official releases.
Organizations utilizing reNgine should implement immediate mitigations while planning for the upcoming security updates that will address this vulnerability. The recommended approach includes monitoring for the official release that contains the fix, which will likely involve strengthening access controls around project deletion functions and implementing proper authorization checks. Security teams should also consider implementing additional monitoring of user activities related to project management functions to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper access control implementation and demonstrates how seemingly minor authorization flaws can lead to complete system compromise. Organizations should review their current access control policies and ensure that administrative privileges are strictly limited to authorized personnel only. The incident serves as a reminder of the critical importance of regular security assessments and vulnerability management processes to identify and remediate such authorization bypass vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by malicious actors.