CVE-2024-48217 - Exploiting An IDOR in SiSMART v7.4. Dashboard for Horizontal Privilege Escalation

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Introduction

In early 2024, security researchers discovered a critical vulnerability, CVE-2024-48217, in the SiSMART v7.4. dashboard. This bug is classified as an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR), which means unauthorized users can easily gain access to other users’ data or actions by tampering with user identifiers in the web requests. This post will break down how this flaw works, demonstrate with simple code snippets, provide exploitation steps, and link to official references.

What is IDOR & Why Is It Dangerous?

An IDOR vulnerability allows users to access objects (like files, dashboard entries, or user accounts) that they should not be allowed to. This usually happens because the application does not properly verify whether a user is authorized to view or modify an object identified by a simple parameter (such as a user ID).

In the case of CVE-2024-48217, someone logged into the SiSMART dashboard can maliciously change parameters in requests to view or edit data that belongs to other users at the same privilege level, even if they aren’t supposed to do so.

Let’s look at an example API request

GET /dashboard/user_data.php?user_id=101 HTTP/1.1
Host: <sisamart-server>
Cookie: PHPSESSID=abcdefghij12345

Normally, if you are User ID 101, this should only return your information. But with this IDOR flaw, you can simply change user_id=101 to another value (for example, user_id=102) and gain access to another user’s dashboard data.

Here is pseudo-PHP code that demonstrates the vulnerable pattern

// Vulnerable code in user_data.php
$user_id = $_GET['user_id'];
$result = $db->query("SELECT * FROM dashboard_data WHERE user_id = '$user_id'");
$data = $result->fetch_assoc();

echo json_encode($data);

Notice how there is no check to ensure that the currently logged-in user actually owns the user_id being requested! The code trusts user input and fetches whatever data is asked for.

Notice the user_id in the URL or in API calls (using browser developer tools “Network” tab).

4. Change the user_id value in the request (e.g. increment it or use another known/predictable user ID).

Example (using curl)

curl -b "PHPSESSID=abcdefghij12345" "https://example.com/dashboard/user_data.php?user_id=102";

This returns sensitive data for user 102, even if you are just 101.

Real-World Impact

- Horizontal Privilege Escalation: This term means accessing other users’ information at your own privilege level.

Data Disclosure: Sensitive user info or reports can be leaked.

- Data Manipulation: If the API supports modifications, attackers could even change data belonging to other users.

The server should always check that the session user matches the requested object. For example

// Secure code
$session_user_id = $_SESSION['user_id'];
$user_id = $_GET['user_id'];

if ($user_id != $session_user_id) {
    die('Unauthorized');
}

// Proceed with fetching data

Or, in the query

$result = $db->query("SELECT * FROM dashboard_data WHERE user_id = '$session_user_id'");

References

- NVD Entry for CVE-2024-48217
- OWASP: Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR)
- Vendor Security Advisory: SiSMART
*(*Update this with link when available)*

Conclusion

CVE-2024-48217 is a classic, but severe, web security bug. Anyone using SiSMART v7.4. should update their software or patch their server ASAP. Leaving this IDOR unaddressed means every user is at risk of having their data exposed or tampered with by others at the same privilege level. Always validate that users can only access their own data, and never trust user input blindly.

Timeline

Published on: 11/01/2024 17:15:17 UTC
Last modified on: 11/05/2024 15:35:16 UTC