CVE-2020-37094
📋 TL;DR
EspoCRM 5.8.5 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability that allows attackers to access other user accounts by manipulating authorization headers. Attackers can decode and modify Basic Authorization and Espo-Authorization tokens to gain unauthorized access to administrative user information and privileges. All organizations using EspoCRM 5.8.5 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- EspoCRM
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of the EspoCRM instance with administrative privileges, allowing data theft, system takeover, and lateral movement to connected systems.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to sensitive business data, customer information, and potential privilege escalation to administrative accounts.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper network segmentation, monitoring, and authentication controls are in place to detect and block unauthorized access attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit code is publicly available and requires minimal technical skill to execute.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 5.8.6 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.espocrm.com
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Backup your EspoCRM instance and database. 2. Download the latest version from the official EspoCRM website. 3. Follow the EspoCRM upgrade documentation to apply the update. 4. Verify the update was successful by checking the version number.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Temporary Access Restriction
linuxRestrict network access to the EspoCRM instance while patching.
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network segmentation to isolate the EspoCRM instance from critical systems.
- Enable detailed logging and monitoring for authentication attempts and privilege escalation activities.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the EspoCRM version in the admin panel or by examining the application files. If version is 5.8.5, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Check the version in the EspoCRM admin interface under Settings > About.Verify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify the version number shows 5.8.6 or later in the admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed authentication attempts followed by successful login from unusual IP addresses
- Authentication logs showing successful logins with modified authorization headers
Network Indicators:
- Unusual HTTP requests containing manipulated Authorization headers
- Traffic patterns indicating privilege escalation attempts
SIEM Query:
source="espocrm.logs" AND (event="authentication_failure" OR event="privilege_escalation")