CVE-2024-2574: Employee Task Management Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2024-2574 Overview

A critical authorization bypass vulnerability was discovered in SourceCodester Employee Task Management System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the /edit-task.php file, where improper validation of the task_id parameter allows attackers to bypass authorization controls. This Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) vulnerability enables unauthorized users to access and modify task data belonging to other users, potentially compromising the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive task information within the system.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability without authentication to bypass authorization controls, potentially gaining unauthorized access to view, modify, or delete tasks belonging to other users in the Employee Task Management System.

Affected Products

• SourceCodester Employee Task Management System 1.0
• oretnom23 employee_task_management_system 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-03-18 - CVE-2024-2574 published to NVD
• 2025-02-20 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-2574

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key), commonly known as an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR). The application fails to properly verify that the authenticated user has permission to access or modify the task specified by the task_id parameter in the /edit-task.php endpoint.

When a user submits a request to edit a task, the application accepts the task_id value directly from user input without validating whether the requesting user is authorized to access that specific task. This allows any authenticated user—or potentially unauthenticated attackers depending on session handling—to manipulate the task_id parameter and access tasks belonging to other users.

The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of active exploitation in the wild. Organizations using this task management system should consider this vulnerability high priority for remediation.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in insufficient authorization checks within the /edit-task.php file. The application accepts the task_id parameter from user input and directly uses it to query and modify task records without verifying that the current user has legitimate ownership or access rights to the specified task. This is a classic IDOR vulnerability pattern where the application trusts user-supplied identifiers without implementing proper access control validation.

Attack Vector

The attack can be launched remotely over the network. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by:

1. Authenticating to the Employee Task Management System (or bypassing authentication if not properly enforced)
2. Navigating to the task edit functionality
3. Intercepting or modifying the HTTP request to the /edit-task.php endpoint
4. Changing the task_id parameter to reference a task belonging to another user
5. Successfully viewing or modifying the unauthorized task data

The attack requires no special privileges, no user interaction, and can be performed with low complexity. The vulnerability affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability of task data, as attackers can read sensitive task information, modify task details, or potentially delete tasks.

For technical details on the exploitation method, refer to the GitHub PoC Repository and VulDB entry #257077.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-2574

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual access patterns to /edit-task.php with varying task_id values from a single session
• Sequential or enumerated task_id parameters in HTTP request logs suggesting parameter tampering
• Access logs showing users viewing or modifying tasks outside their normal workflow patterns
• Failed authorization events or access attempts to tasks not owned by the requesting user

Detection Strategies

• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect parameter manipulation attempts on the task_id field
• Monitor HTTP request logs for anomalous patterns of task_id enumeration or sequential access
• Deploy application-level logging to track authorization decisions and flag unauthorized access attempts
• Use behavioral analytics to identify users accessing unusually high numbers of different tasks

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all requests to /edit-task.php including user session information and task_id values
• Configure alerts for multiple failed authorization attempts from the same session or IP address
• Review access logs periodically for patterns indicating IDOR exploitation attempts
• Implement real-time monitoring for unusual API access patterns in the task management endpoints

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-2574

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the Employee Task Management System to trusted networks only until a patch is applied
• Implement additional authentication controls or IP whitelisting for the /edit-task.php endpoint
• Review application logs for signs of previous exploitation attempts
• Consider temporarily disabling the task edit functionality if feasible until proper authorization controls are implemented

Patch Information

As of the last NVD update on 2025-02-20, no official vendor patch has been publicly documented for this vulnerability. Organizations should contact the vendor (oretnom23/SourceCodester) directly for patch availability or consider implementing a custom fix by adding proper authorization validation to the affected endpoint.

The fix should implement server-side validation that verifies the authenticated user has permission to access the requested task_id before allowing any read or write operations on that task record.

Workarounds

• Implement server-side authorization checks in /edit-task.php to validate that the requesting user owns or has permission to access the specified task
• Add middleware or application-level access control that validates task ownership before processing edit requests
• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF rule to validate and sanitize the task_id parameter
• Consider implementing cryptographically signed or encrypted task identifiers instead of sequential numeric IDs

# Example: Implement network-level access restriction via iptables
# Restrict access to the web application to trusted IP ranges only
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -s 192.168.1.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j DROP

# Or via Apache .htaccess to restrict edit-task.php access
# <Files "edit-task.php">
#     Require ip 192.168.1.0/24
# </Files>