CVE-2020-28597
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to predict password reset tokens in Epignosis EfrontPro, enabling unauthorized password resets for any user account. It affects EfrontPro version 5.2.21 specifically. Attackers can take over accounts by generating valid reset tokens without needing initial access.
💻 Affected Systems
- Epignosis EfrontPro
📦 What is this software?
Efront by Epignosishq
Efront by Epignosishq
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of all user accounts, including administrative accounts, leading to data theft, system takeover, and lateral movement within the organization.
Likely Case
Targeted account takeover of specific users, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive training data, personal information, or corporate resources.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper monitoring and alerting on unusual password reset patterns, though some accounts may still be compromised before detection.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability is in the predictable seed generation for reset tokens, making exploitation straightforward once the pattern is understood.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 5.2.22 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.efrontlearning.com/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Backup your EfrontPro installation and database. 2. Download the latest version from the official vendor. 3. Follow the vendor's upgrade instructions for version 5.2.22 or newer. 4. Verify the password reset functionality uses cryptographically secure random tokens.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Password Reset Functionality
allTemporarily disable the password reset feature to prevent exploitation while planning an upgrade.
Modify application configuration to remove password reset links and endpoints
Implement Rate Limiting
allAdd rate limiting to password reset requests to make token prediction attacks more difficult.
Configure web server or application firewall to limit requests to /password-reset endpoints
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement multi-factor authentication for all accounts to reduce impact of password resets
- Monitor logs for unusual password reset patterns and alert on multiple reset attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if running EfrontPro version 5.2.21 by reviewing the application version in admin panel or configuration files.Check Version:
Check admin dashboard or review application configuration files for version informationVerify Fix Applied:
After upgrading, test password reset functionality to ensure tokens are long, random, and unpredictable. Verify version shows 5.2.22 or higher.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple password reset requests for different users from same IP
- Successful password resets without corresponding user requests
- Unusual patterns in password reset token usage
Network Indicators:
- High volume of requests to password reset endpoints
- Requests to password reset with predictable token patterns
SIEM Query:
source="efrontpro" AND (url="*/password-reset*" OR message="*password reset*") | stats count by src_ip, user