CVE-2024-2576: Employee Task Management Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2024-2576 Overview

A critical authorization bypass vulnerability has been identified in SourceCodester Employee Task Management System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the /update-admin.php file where improper validation of the admin_id parameter allows attackers to bypass authorization controls. This flaw, classified as Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) under CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key), enables remote attackers to manipulate administrator accounts without proper authentication.

Critical Impact

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to bypass authorization controls and potentially gain administrative access to the Employee Task Management System, compromising the entire application's security model.

Affected Products

• SourceCodester Employee Task Management System 1.0
• Oretnom23 Employee Task Management System (all deployments using version 1.0)

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-03-18 - CVE-2024-2576 published to NVD
• 2025-02-20 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-2576

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability represents a classic Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) flaw where the application fails to properly validate user authorization before performing sensitive operations on administrator accounts. The /update-admin.php endpoint accepts an admin_id parameter that is not adequately validated against the authenticated user's session or permissions. This allows any user, including unauthenticated attackers, to modify administrator account details by simply manipulating the admin_id value in their requests.

The attack can be executed remotely over the network without any prior authentication or user interaction, making it particularly dangerous for internet-facing deployments. Successful exploitation could lead to complete compromise of administrative credentials, enabling attackers to take full control of the task management system.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the absence of proper authorization checks in the /update-admin.php script. The application directly uses user-supplied input (the admin_id parameter) to identify which administrator record to modify without verifying that the requesting user has the necessary permissions to perform this action. This violates the principle of least privilege and proper access control implementation.

Attack Vector

The attack is executed remotely over the network (Attack Vector: Network). An attacker can craft HTTP requests to the /update-admin.php endpoint with a manipulated admin_id parameter value. Since there is no authentication requirement and no authorization validation, the attacker can target any administrator account in the system.

The exploitation flow involves:

1. Identifying the target endpoint (/update-admin.php)
2. Crafting a request with a modified admin_id parameter
3. Submitting administrator account modifications without proper authorization
4. Gaining unauthorized access to or control over administrative accounts

Technical details and proof-of-concept information are available through the GitHub PoC for IDOR Vulnerability and VulDB #257079 Technical Analysis.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-2576

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual HTTP requests to /update-admin.php from unauthenticated sessions or unauthorized users
• Multiple requests to the admin update endpoint with sequential or enumerated admin_id values
• Unexpected modifications to administrator accounts in application logs
• Authentication failures following administrator credential changes that were not initiated by legitimate users

Detection Strategies

• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to monitor and alert on suspicious requests to /update-admin.php
• Deploy network monitoring to detect enumeration patterns targeting the vulnerable endpoint
• Enable detailed application logging for all administrative operations and review for anomalies
• Use SIEM solutions to correlate authentication events with administrative modification requests

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor HTTP access logs for requests to /update-admin.php with varying admin_id parameters from the same source
• Set up alerts for administrative account modifications occurring outside normal business hours
• Track failed login attempts that may indicate compromised administrative credentials
• Review audit logs regularly for unauthorized administrative operations

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-2576

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the /update-admin.php endpoint through web server configuration until a patch is applied
• Implement network-level access controls to limit who can reach the administrative functions
• Review administrator accounts for any unauthorized modifications and reset credentials as needed
• Consider taking the application offline or restricting it to trusted networks if internet-facing

Patch Information

No official vendor patch is currently available for this vulnerability. The affected software, SourceCodester Employee Task Management System 1.0, is a demonstration or educational codebase that may not receive formal security updates. Organizations using this software in production environments should consider migrating to a more actively maintained task management solution or implementing custom security fixes.

For technical details, refer to the VulDB #257079 Exploit Details.

Workarounds

• Add server-side authorization checks to validate that the requesting user has permission to modify the specified administrator account
• Implement session-based validation in /update-admin.php to ensure only authenticated administrators can access the endpoint
• Use web server configuration (.htaccess or equivalent) to restrict access to administrative files by IP address
• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF to filter requests to sensitive endpoints

# Example .htaccess restriction for update-admin.php
<Files "update-admin.php">
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
    Allow from 10.0.0.0/8
</Files>