CVE-2024-12604 Overview
CVE-2024-12604 affects the Tapandsign Technologies Tap&Sign App in versions prior to V.1.025. The vulnerability combines two distinct weaknesses: cleartext storage of sensitive information in an environment variable [CWE-526] and a weak password recovery mechanism for forgotten passwords [CWE-312]. Attackers can abuse the password recovery workflow and misuse application functionality without authentication. The flaw is network-reachable and requires no user interaction, which broadens the potential attacker pool. Tapandsign resolved the issues in Tap&Sign V.1.025, and Turkey's national CERT (USOM) issued a corresponding security notification.
Critical Impact
Unauthenticated network attackers can exploit the password recovery mechanism and access sensitive data stored in cleartext, leading to account takeover and information disclosure.
Affected Products
- Tapandsign Technologies Tap&Sign App, all versions before V.1.025
- Deployments relying on default environment variable configuration for secrets
- Client instances using the pre-patch password recovery workflow
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-03-10 - CVE-2024-12604 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-12604
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2024-12604 pairs two weaknesses that reinforce each other. The first, tracked under [CWE-526], is cleartext storage of sensitive information in an environment variable. Environment variables are readable by co-resident processes, leak into crash dumps, and often surface in logs or container introspection interfaces.
The second weakness, tracked under [CWE-312], is a weak password recovery mechanism. When a recovery flow relies on predictable tokens, weak secrets, or insufficient verification, an attacker can trigger a reset and take control of an account without knowing the original credentials.
Combined, the two flaws let an attacker abuse recovery functionality while also harvesting cleartext secrets exposed through the runtime environment. The attack requires no privileges and no user interaction, which lowers the barrier for automated exploitation.
Root Cause
The root cause is a design decision to place sensitive material in process environment variables and to rely on a password recovery routine that does not adequately validate the requester's identity. Neither control alone provides confidentiality or integrity guarantees for account recovery.
Attack Vector
Exploitation occurs over the network against the Tap&Sign application. An attacker initiates a password recovery request for a target account and abuses the weak recovery logic to obtain access or reset credentials. Where the runtime environment is reachable, the attacker can also read secrets stored in cleartext environment variables and reuse them against the service. Refer to the Tap and Sign Release Notes and the USOM Security Notification for vendor-supplied technical context.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-12604
Indicators of Compromise
- Unusual volume of password reset or account recovery requests targeting individual accounts.
- Successful authentications immediately following a password reset from an unfamiliar IP address or geolocation.
- Access to process environment or configuration endpoints from user-facing network segments.
- Application logs showing recovery tokens reused, replayed, or issued in rapid succession.
Detection Strategies
- Correlate password recovery events with subsequent login events and flag short-interval sequences from mismatched sources.
- Baseline normal recovery request rates per account and per source IP, then alert on statistical outliers.
- Inspect application and container logs for exposure of environment variables containing credentials or API keys.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Monitor Tap&Sign application logs and reverse proxy logs for repeated /forgot-password or equivalent recovery endpoint calls.
- Track authentication anomalies such as new-device logins that immediately follow a recovery event.
- Alert on any process introspection or secrets-access activity originating from non-administrative accounts.
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-12604
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade Tap&Sign App to V.1.025 or later on all client and server components.
- Rotate any credentials, tokens, or API keys that were previously stored in environment variables.
- Invalidate active sessions and force password resets for accounts that may have been targeted through the recovery flow.
- Review recent password recovery events and correlate them with successful logins for signs of abuse.
Patch Information
Tapandsign Technologies addressed both weaknesses in Tap&Sign App V.1.025. Deployment details and change notes are published in the Tap and Sign Release Notes. Additional coordinated guidance is available from the Siber Güvenlik Security Notification and the USOM Security Notification.
Workarounds
- Move secrets out of environment variables into a dedicated secrets manager with access auditing.
- Restrict network exposure of the recovery endpoint to trusted networks until patching is complete.
- Enforce rate limiting and CAPTCHA on password recovery requests to slow automated abuse.
- Require multi-factor authentication for account recovery to reduce impact of weak recovery tokens.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
