CVE-2020-13422
📋 TL;DR
OpenIAM versions before 4.2.0.3 have an authorization bypass vulnerability in the administrative REST API endpoints. Attackers can perform administrative actions without proper permission checks, potentially compromising the identity and access management system. Organizations using vulnerable OpenIAM deployments are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- OpenIAM
📦 What is this software?
Openiam by Openiam
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of the identity management system allowing attackers to create/delete users, modify permissions, access sensitive data, and potentially gain administrative control over integrated systems.
Likely Case
Unauthorized administrative actions leading to privilege escalation, data exposure, or disruption of identity management services.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and monitoring, though the vulnerability still exists in the application layer.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires some level of access to the application but no special permissions. Exploitation involves sending crafted requests to administrative endpoints.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 4.2.0.3 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/Accenture/AARO-Bugs/blob/master/AARO-CVE-List.md
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Backup current OpenIAM configuration and data. 2. Download OpenIAM version 4.2.0.3 or later from official sources. 3. Follow OpenIAM upgrade documentation for your deployment type. 4. Restart OpenIAM services after upgrade. 5. Verify authorization checks are working on /webconsole/rest/api/* endpoints.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Access Restriction
linuxRestrict network access to OpenIAM administrative endpoints
# Example firewall rule (adjust for your environment)
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport [OpenIAM_PORT] -s [TRUSTED_NETWORK] -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport [OpenIAM_PORT] -j DROP
Web Server Configuration
allAdd authorization middleware or restrict access at web server level
# Apache example
<Location /webconsole/rest/api/>
Require ip 10.0.0.0/8
</Location>
# Nginx example
location /webconsole/rest/api/ {
allow 10.0.0.0/8;
deny all;
}
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate OpenIAM from untrusted networks
- Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with rules to detect and block unauthorized administrative API calls
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check OpenIAM version via web interface or configuration files. If version is below 4.2.0.3, the system is vulnerable. Test by attempting administrative actions without proper permissions.Check Version:
Check OpenIAM version in web interface or configuration files. No single command; version is typically in web interface or /opt/openiam/version.txtVerify Fix Applied:
After patching, test that unauthorized users cannot perform administrative actions via /webconsole/rest/api/* endpoints. Verify version shows 4.2.0.3 or higher.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized access attempts to /webconsole/rest/api/* endpoints
- Administrative actions performed by non-admin users
- Failed authorization checks in application logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual patterns of requests to administrative API endpoints
- Requests to /webconsole/rest/api/* from unexpected sources
SIEM Query:
source="openiam" AND (uri_path="/webconsole/rest/api/*" AND user_role!="admin")