CVE-2022-45929
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Northern.tech Mender allows low-privileged read-only users to escalate their privileges by changing their own roles to administrative ones. It affects Mender deployments with versions 3.3.x before 3.3.2, 3.5.x before 3.5.0, and 3.6.x before 3.6.0.
💻 Affected Systems
- Northern.tech Mender
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker with read-only access gains full administrative control over the Mender deployment, enabling them to deploy malicious updates, modify device configurations, or disrupt operations.
Likely Case
Malicious insider or compromised low-privileged account escalates to admin, potentially deploying unauthorized updates or accessing sensitive device management functions.
If Mitigated
With proper network segmentation and monitoring, impact is limited to the Mender management plane without affecting managed devices.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires authenticated low-privileged user access. The vulnerability is straightforward to exploit once authenticated.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.3.2, 3.5.0, or 3.6.0
Vendor Advisory: https://mender.io/blog/cve-2022-45929-cve-2022-41324-improper-access-control-for-low-privileged-users
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Backup current Mender configuration and data. 2. Upgrade to Mender 3.3.2, 3.5.0, or 3.6.0 depending on your current version. 3. Restart Mender services. 4. Verify the upgrade completed successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict low-privileged user access
allTemporarily remove or disable all read-only user accounts until patching can be completed.
Network segmentation
allIsolate Mender management interface to trusted networks only, reducing attack surface.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls to limit Mender management interface access to only necessary administrative users.
- Enable detailed audit logging for all user role changes and monitor for suspicious activity.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Mender version via the web interface or API. If version is 3.3.0-3.3.1, 3.5.x before 3.5.0, or 3.6.x before 3.6.0, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Check Mender web interface or API endpoint for version information.Verify Fix Applied:
After upgrade, verify version is 3.3.2, 3.5.0, or 3.6.0 or higher. Test that low-privileged users cannot modify their roles.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected user role changes
- Low-privileged users accessing administrative endpoints
- Multiple failed role modification attempts
Network Indicators:
- Unusual API calls to user role modification endpoints from non-admin accounts
SIEM Query:
source="mender" AND (event="user_role_change" OR endpoint="/api/management/v1/useradm/users/*/role") AND user_role="read-only"