A critical vulnerability, identified as CVE-2024-55225, has been recently discovered in Vaultwarden, an open-source password manager. The issue impacts the component src/api/identity.rs, and affects versions prior to v1.32.5 of Vaultwarden.

In a nutshell, this vulnerability allows attackers to impersonate users, including Administrators, by crafting an authorization request that takes advantage of the security flaws present in the component.

In this blog post, we will walk you through the details of this vulnerability, code snippets revealing the root cause, original references, and what you can do to mitigate the risk and stay protected.

Exploit Details

The vulnerability lies in the process of handling authorization requests in the src/api/identity.rs component of Vaultwarden. Let's examine the process where the security flaw exists.

The issue occurs in the function called handle_oidc_auth_signin while handling the state parameter in the OIDC (OpenID Connect) authentication flow. This parameter is supposed to be validated before processing further; however, its validation is missing, leading to potential exploitation.

Here is the code snippet, showcasing the vulnerable part of the functionality

pub async fn handle_oidc_auth_signin(
    data: JsonUpcase<Value>,
    check_existing_user: bool,
) -> JsonResult {
    let (state_id, _) = extension_utils::extract_state_data(&data.state)?;

    // [CVE-2024-55225] The 'state_id' should be validated, but it is not.

    // Rest of the function implementation
}

As you can see, the state_id, which is extracted from the provided state parameter, is not being properly validated before it's used in further processing. This oversight allows attackers to craft a malicious authorization request to impersonate any user, including those with administrative privileges.

The following resources provide more information on this vulnerability and its impact on Vaultwarden users:

1. The CVE details: [https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-55225]
2. Vaultwarden's GitHub repository: [https://github.com/dani-garcia/vaultwarden]
3. Release notes for Vaultwarden v1.32.5: [https://github.com/dani-garcia/vaultwarden/releases/tag/1.32.5]

Solutions and Recommendations

To protect your Vaultwarden instances from potential exploitation, it is recommended that you take the following actions:

1. Update to the latest version of Vaultwarden: The vulnerability is fixed in version 1.32.5 and later, so all users should update their instances to a patched version.

# Instructions for updating Vaultwarden:
# 1. Stop the running Vaultwarden instance
# 2. Download the latest version
# 3. Replace the executable with the newer version
# 4. Restart the Vaultwarden instance

2. Enforce the use of strong and unique identifiers to minimize the potential impact of the vulnerability.

3. Keep track of any suspicious activity in your logs, such as unauthorized access attempts or creation of new users.

Conclusion

CVE-2024-55225 represents a severe vulnerability in Vaultwarden, one that could have a significant impact on organizations and individuals using the affected versions. The vulnerability's exploitation allows attackers to impersonate users, including those with administrative privileges, by crafting malicious authorization requests.

By staying informed about the latest security vulnerabilities and applying the necessary patches and updates, you can minimize the risk of exposure and better protect your assets and information.

Timeline

Published on: 01/09/2025 21:15:29 UTC
Last modified on: 01/10/2025 18:15:24 UTC