CVE-2024-4428: Menulux Portal Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2024-4428 Overview

CVE-2024-4428 is a Missing Authentication for Critical Function and Missing Authorization vulnerability affecting the Menulux Information Technologies Management Portal. This security flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to collect data provided by users through the portal without proper access controls.

The vulnerability stems from inadequate authentication mechanisms protecting critical functions within the Management Portal, combined with insufficient authorization checks. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can access sensitive user-submitted data without requiring valid credentials or proper permissions.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated remote attackers can collect user-provided data from the Menulux Management Portal due to missing authentication and authorization controls, potentially exposing sensitive business and customer information.

Affected Products

• Menulux Management Portal (versions through 21.05.2024)

Discovery Timeline

• August 29, 2024 - CVE-2024-4428 published to NVD
• October 14, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-4428

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability combines two significant security weaknesses classified under CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Function). The Menulux Management Portal fails to implement proper authentication mechanisms for critical administrative or data-access functions, allowing unauthorized parties to interact with sensitive endpoints.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means that attackers can remotely exploit the flaw without requiring any user interaction or prior authentication. The attack complexity is low, making it accessible to a wide range of threat actors with basic technical knowledge.

The impact includes potential unauthorized access to confidential user data submitted through the portal, with possible integrity implications as attackers may be able to modify data or system configurations. While availability is not directly impacted, the confidentiality and integrity concerns extend to connected systems that may rely on the Management Portal.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in the application's failure to implement proper authentication and authorization checks on critical API endpoints or functions within the Management Portal. This is a fundamental design flaw where sensitive operations are exposed without verifying the identity or permissions of the requesting party.

The vulnerability indicates that certain endpoints intended for administrative or data management purposes lack proper security controls, allowing any network-accessible client to invoke these functions and retrieve user-submitted data.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no privileges or user interaction. An attacker can directly access unprotected endpoints on the Menulux Management Portal to collect data. The exploitation process involves identifying exposed endpoints that handle user data and making direct requests to retrieve information without presenting valid authentication credentials.

Typical exploitation scenarios include:

• Direct API enumeration to discover unprotected data collection endpoints
• Unauthorized access to user-submitted form data and business information
• Potential lateral movement to connected systems using harvested credentials or session data

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-4428

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual access patterns to Management Portal endpoints from external IP addresses
• Requests to administrative or data-retrieval endpoints without valid session tokens
• Bulk data extraction attempts or abnormal query patterns against user data stores
• Access logs showing requests to sensitive endpoints without preceding authentication events

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web application logs for requests to critical endpoints lacking authentication headers or session cookies
• Implement anomaly detection for unusual data access patterns or volumes from single IP addresses
• Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to flag or block requests to sensitive endpoints without proper authentication
• Review access logs for sequential enumeration attempts targeting user data endpoints

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive logging on all Management Portal endpoints, including authentication status for each request
• Set up alerts for failed authentication attempts followed by successful data access
• Monitor network traffic for unusual volumes of outbound data from the Management Portal server
• Implement rate limiting and anomaly detection on critical data access functions

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-4428

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the Menulux Management Portal to trusted IP addresses or VPN-only access
• Implement emergency authentication requirements on all data-access endpoints
• Review and audit all exposed endpoints for proper authentication and authorization controls
• Enable comprehensive logging to identify any ongoing exploitation attempts

Patch Information

Organizations should consult the USOM Security Notification for official guidance and remediation steps. Contact Menulux Information Technologies directly for updated versions that address this vulnerability. Upgrade to a patched version of the Management Portal that was released after May 21, 2024, once available from the vendor.

Workarounds

• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) in front of the Management Portal to enforce authentication requirements
• Implement network segmentation to limit access to the portal from trusted internal networks only
• Add a reverse proxy with authentication requirements in front of the vulnerable application
• Disable or restrict access to critical data-collection functions until a proper patch is applied
• Consider temporary offline status for the portal if sensitive data exposure risk is unacceptable