CVE-2020-15248: October/backend Privilege Escalation By Backend Users Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rfjc-xrmf-5vvw
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CVSS 4.0
CWE-269 CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-15248 is a LOW (CVSS 4.0) privilege escalation by backend users vulnerability (CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management) affecting October/backend libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves privilege escalation by backend users assigned to the default "publisher" system role. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.0.470.

CVE-2020-15248 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-15248
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rfjc-xrmf-5vvw
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.0
CWE Classification CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management
Affected Product October/backend
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.0

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required High (PR:H)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2020-15248

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected October/backend dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

october/backend fixed: 1.0.470 
Upgrade october/backend to 1.0.470
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for october/backend

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2020-15248, inspect your project dependencies for October/backend:

inspect dependencies for october/backend

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of October/backend in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.0.470), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management, where the product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. In October/backend, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Impact Backend users with the default "Publisher" system role have access to create & manage users where they can choose which role the new user has. This means that a user with "Publisher" access has the ability to escalate their access to "Developer" access. ### Patches Issue has been patched in Build 470 (v1.0.470) & v1.1.1. ### Workarounds Apply https://github.com/octobercms/october/commit/78a37298a4ed4602b383522344a31e311402d829 to your installation manually if unable to upgrade to Build 470 or v1.1.1. ### References Reported by [Hoan Hoang](https://github.com/hoanhp) ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: * Email us at [hello@octobercms.com](mailto:hello@octobercms.com) ### Threat assessment: <img width="1098" alt="Screen Shot 2020-10-10 at 1 37 25 PM" src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/7253840/95663611-e6326c80-0afd-11eb-8a1e-8b767a7202fb.png">

CVE-2020-15248 Affected October/backend Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.0.470
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
october/backend
 Packagist
≥ 1.0.319
< 1.0.470
1.0.470

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/octobercms/october/security/advisories/GHSA-rfjc-xrmf-5vvw
NVD — CVE-2020-15248 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-15248
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/octobercms/october/commit/4c650bb775ab849e48202a4923bac93bd74f9982
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/octobercms/october/commit/78a37298a4ed4602b383522344a31e311402d829
October/backend Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/octobercms/october

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-15248?
CVE-2020-15248 is a security vulnerability in October/backend involving Privilege escalation by backend users assigned to the default "Publisher" system role under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management.
Which October/backend versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.0.470 across affected packages: october/backend.
What version fixes CVE-2020-15248?
Upgrading to 1.0.470 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is october/backend affected?
Yes, october/backend is affected in releases prior to 1.0.470. Upgrade your dependency to 1.0.470 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-15248?
CVE-2020-15248 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.0 (LOW) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-15248?
CVE-2020-15248 is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management (The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2020-15248?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for october/backend'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-rfjc-xrmf-5vvw",
  "modified" : "2021-11-19T13:40:25Z",
  "published" : "2020-11-23T19:47:27Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-15248" ],
  "summary" : "Privilege escalation by backend users assigned to the default \"Publisher\" system role",
  "details" : "### Impact\nBackend users with the default \"Publisher\" system role have access to create & manage users where they can choose which role the new user has. This means that a user with \"Publisher\" access has the ability to escalate their access to \"Developer\" access. \n\n### Patches\nIssue has been patched in Build 470 (v1.0.470) & v1.1.1.\n\n### Workarounds\nApply https://github.com/octobercms/october/commit/78a37298a4ed4602b383522344a31e311402d829 to your installation manually if unable to upgrade to Build 470 or v1.1.1.\n\n### References\nReported by [Hoan Hoang](https://github.com/hoanhp)\n\n### For more information\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n* Email us at [hello@octobercms.com](mailto:hello@octobercms.com)\n\n### Threat assessment:\n<img width=\"1098\" alt=\"Screen Shot 2020-10-10 at 1 37 25 PM\" src=\"https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/7253840/95663611-e6326c80-0afd-11eb-8a1e-8b767a7202fb.png\">",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "october/backend"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.0.319"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.0.470"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/octobercms/october/security/advisories/GHSA-rfjc-xrmf-5vvw"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-15248"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/octobercms/october/commit/4c650bb775ab849e48202a4923bac93bd74f9982"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/octobercms/october/commit/78a37298a4ed4602b383522344a31e311402d829"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/octobercms/october"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269", "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-11-23T19:40:34Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-11-23T20:15:00Z"
  }
}