A critical session fixation vulnerability (CVE-2023-50270) has been discovered in Apache DolphinScheduler before version 3.2.. This vulnerability allows attackers to hijack authenticated users' sessions and perform actions on their behalf, even after the user has changed their password. In this blog post, we will discuss the details of this vulnerability, demonstrate a proof-of-concept attack, provide links to the original references, and recommend steps to mitigate the risks.

Vulnerability Details

Session fixation is a type of web application vulnerability where an attacker can fixate a user's session ID before the user logs in, and then take advantage of the user's valid session after they have logged in. This becomes possible if the web application does not sufficiently invalidate the old session after a user logs in or makes crucial changes such as password update.

In Apache DolphinScheduler before version 3.2., the session is still valid after the password change, allowing potential attackers to take control of the user's session and perform actions on their behalf.

To better understand this vulnerability, let's look at a code snippet from the vulnerable version of DolphinScheduler:

# Vulnerable code snippet from DolphinScheduler before 3.2.
def change_password(request):
    old_password = request.POST.get("old_password")
    new_password = request.POST.get("new_password")

    if request.user.check_password(old_password):
        request.user.set_password(new_password)
        request.user.save()

        # Missing invalidation of the old session here

        return JsonResponse({"success":True})
    else:
        return JsonResponse({"success":False, "error":"Incorrect password"})

As we can see from the code snippet, the application changes the user's password, but it does not invalidate the old session. This allows an attacker who has fixed the user's session previously to use the same session and perform actions as the user.

Use the victim's session ID to access their account and perform actions on their behalf.

For example, a potential attack scenario might involve an attacker sending a phishing email with a malicious link to a DolphinScheduler user. If the user clicks the link, they would unknowingly share their session ID with the attacker. Once the user updates their password, the attacker would still have access to their account using the previously captured session ID.

Mitigation and Recommendations

The developers of Apache DolphinScheduler have released version 3.2.1, which fixes this session fixation vulnerability. Users are highly recommended to upgrade their installations as soon as possible to protect their systems from potential attacks.

To upgrade to DolphinScheduler 3.2.1, follow the instructions provided in the official documentation.

In addition to upgrading DolphinScheduler, it is essential to follow secure coding practices such as invalidating sessions upon critical changes like password updates and periodically review the authentication mechanism to prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future.

Conclusion

CVE-2023-50270 is a critical session fixation vulnerability found in Apache DolphinScheduler before version 3.2.. It allows attackers to hijack authenticated users' sessions and perform actions as the user, even after the password change. To mitigate this risk, users must upgrade to version 3.2.1 and follow secure coding practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future.

- CVE-2023-50270 NVD Entry
- DolphinScheduler GitHub Repository
- DolphinScheduler Official Documentation

Timeline

Published on: 02/20/2024 10:15:08 UTC
Last modified on: 08/29/2024 20:35:41 UTC