elabftw: Incorrect Privilege Assignment
CVE-2024-25632 is a high-severity incorrect privilege assignment vulnerability in elabftw, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. Affected elabftw versions: >= 4.6.0, < 5.1.0. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.4% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of elabftw you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 8.6 | High | CNA (github.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 8.8 | High | NVD |
Official description
eLabFTW is an open source electronic lab notebook for research labs. In the context of eLabFTW, an administrator is a user account with certain privileges to manage users and content in their assigned team/teams. A user may be an administrator in one team and a regular user in another. The vulnerability allows a regular user to become administrator of a team where they are a member, under a reasonable configuration. Additionally, in eLabFTW versions subsequent to v5.0.0, the vulnerability may allow an initially unauthenticated user to gain administrative privileges over an arbitrary team. The vulnerability does not affect system administrator status. Users should upgrade to version 5.1.0. System administrators are advised to turn off local user registration, saml_team_create and not allow administrators to import users into teams, unless strictly required.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Incorrect Privilege Assignment
A product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
- Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need to run as the database administrator, especially in day-to-day operations.
More Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerabilities (CWE-266)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Advisories
Other vulnerabilities in elabftw
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.2 High severity
Recent Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerabilities
- 9.0 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
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