CVE-2019-5617
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2019-5617 allows unauthenticated attackers to reset passwords for administrator accounts in C4G BLIS versions 3.4 and earlier. This vulnerability affects all deployments of the affected software versions, enabling complete system compromise through administrative access takeover.
💻 Affected Systems
- Computing For Good Basic Laboratory Information System (C4G BLIS)
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system takeover: attackers gain administrative control, access sensitive laboratory data, modify test results, and potentially disrupt healthcare operations.
Likely Case
Unauthorized administrative access leading to data theft, system manipulation, and potential ransomware deployment.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper network segmentation and access controls prevent unauthenticated access to vulnerable endpoints.
🎯 Exploit Status
Simple HTTP request manipulation can exploit this vulnerability without authentication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version 3.5 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://blog.rapid7.com/2019/09/10/r7-2019-09-cve-2019-5617-cve-2019-5643-cve-2019-5644-c4g-blis-authentication-and-authorization-vulnerabilities-fixed/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download C4G BLIS version 3.5 or later from official sources. 2. Backup current installation and data. 3. Install updated version following vendor documentation. 4. Restart the application/service.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Access Control
linuxRestrict access to BLIS web interface to authorized users only using firewall rules.
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -s trusted_network -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s trusted_network -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP
Web Application Firewall
allDeploy WAF rules to block unauthorized password reset requests.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate the BLIS system on a separate network segment with strict access controls
- Implement multi-factor authentication for all administrative accounts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check BLIS version in web interface or configuration files. If version is 3.4 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Check web interface footer or config files for version informationVerify Fix Applied:
After patching, attempt unauthenticated password reset via documented exploit methods to confirm failure.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthenticated POST requests to password reset endpoints
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful password reset
Network Indicators:
- Unusual password reset requests from unauthenticated IP addresses
- HTTP traffic to /admin/password_reset or similar endpoints without authentication
SIEM Query:
source="blis_logs" AND (uri_path="/admin/password_reset" OR uri_path="/reset_password") AND http_status=200 AND auth_status="unauthenticated"🔗 References
- https://blog.rapid7.com/2019/09/10/r7-2019-09-cve-2019-5617-cve-2019-5643-cve-2019-5644-c4g-blis-authentication-and-authorization-vulnerabilities-fixed/
- https://blog.rapid7.com/2019/09/10/r7-2019-09-cve-2019-5617-cve-2019-5643-cve-2019-5644-c4g-blis-authentication-and-authorization-vulnerabilities-fixed/
