CVE-2024-54124 Overview
CVE-2024-54124 is a permission escalation vulnerability affecting Click Studios Passwordstate builds prior to 9920. The flaw resides on the edit folder screen, where authorization checks are not properly enforced. An authenticated attacker with low privileges can leverage the weakness to gain elevated permissions over password folders, exposing credential data managed by the enterprise password vault. The issue maps to CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization.
Critical Impact
Authenticated users can escalate privileges through the edit folder screen, potentially gaining unauthorized access to stored credentials across the Passwordstate deployment.
Affected Products
- Click Studios Passwordstate (all versions before build 9920)
- On-premises Passwordstate deployments used for enterprise credential management
- Web-based administrative and user interfaces exposed via the folder edit workflow
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-11-29 - CVE-2024-54124 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-54124
Vulnerability Analysis
Passwordstate organizes secrets into a hierarchy of password lists and folders, each governed by role-based permissions. The edit folder screen is intended to allow authorized users to modify folder metadata and permissions inheritance. In builds before 9920, the server-side authorization logic does not fully validate whether the acting user is entitled to the operations submitted through the edit folder interface.
An authenticated user with limited access can submit modified requests through this screen to alter folder permissions or inherit rights that exceed their assigned role. Because Passwordstate is a centralized credential vault, escalated folder permissions translate directly into access to sensitive secrets, potentially including administrative credentials, API keys, and infrastructure passwords.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or incomplete authorization checks (CWE-863) on the server-side handler backing the edit folder screen. The application appears to trust client-supplied context, or verifies only that a user is authenticated rather than confirming they hold the folder-level rights required to change permission structures.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires network access to the Passwordstate web application and valid low-privileged credentials. The attack does not require user interaction. An attacker interacts with the edit folder screen, or replays crafted requests to the underlying endpoint, to modify folder permissions and obtain access to credential entries beyond their original scope.
No verified public proof-of-concept code is available for CVE-2024-54124. Refer to the ClickStudios Security Advisories for vendor-provided technical detail.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-54124
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to folder permission structures or ownership within Passwordstate audit logs.
- Password retrieval events from folders that a user historically did not access.
- Requests to edit folder endpoints originating from accounts without corresponding administrative role assignments.
Detection Strategies
- Review the built-in Passwordstate auditing module for Folder Permissions Modified and Permissions Applied events tied to non-privileged accounts.
- Correlate authentication logs with folder permission changes to identify sessions that modify authorization outside expected workflows.
- Baseline normal folder-edit activity per user role and alert on deviations, particularly bulk permission changes.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Forward Passwordstate audit and web server logs to a centralized SIEM for retention and correlation.
- Enable alerting on privilege changes affecting folders that contain high-value credentials such as domain admin or root accounts.
- Monitor for anomalous credential retrieval patterns following any folder permission modification.
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-54124
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade Passwordstate to build 9920 or later, which contains the vendor fix for the edit folder authorization flaw.
- Audit all folder permissions and remove entries granted since the last known-good configuration snapshot.
- Rotate credentials stored in any folder that may have been exposed to unauthorized users prior to patching.
Patch Information
Click Studios addressed the issue in Passwordstate build 9920. Administrators should apply the update following the vendor upgrade procedure and validate the running build after installation. Release details are documented in the ClickStudios Passwordstate Changelog.
Workarounds
- Restrict network access to the Passwordstate web interface to trusted administrative networks until the patch is applied.
- Temporarily limit low-privileged user accounts from accessing folder edit functionality by tightening role assignments.
- Enforce multi-factor authentication for all Passwordstate users to raise the barrier for exploitation via compromised low-privileged accounts.
# Verify installed Passwordstate build after upgrade
# Navigate to Administration > System Settings > About in the Passwordstate UI
# Confirm the reported build is 9920 or higher
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
