CVE-2025-13807: Orionsec Orion Ops Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-13807 Overview

CVE-2025-13807 is an improper authorization vulnerability in Orionsec Orion-Ops, an operations management platform. The flaw resides in the MachineKeyController function located at orion-ops-api/orion-ops-web/src/main/java/cn/orionsec/ops/controller/MachineKeyController.java. Attackers with low-privilege API access can manipulate requests to the affected endpoint and bypass authorization checks. The issue is categorized under [CWE-266] (Incorrect Privilege Assignment). A public exploit exists, and the vendor did not respond to the disclosure attempt. The vulnerability affects Orion-Ops builds up to commit 5925824997a3109651bbde07460958a7be249ed1.

Critical Impact
Remote authenticated attackers can abuse the MachineKeyController API to access machine key information they are not authorized to retrieve, enabling information disclosure in managed-host environments.

Affected Products

Orionsec Orion-Ops up to commit 5925824997a3109651bbde07460958a7be249ed1
Component: API (MachineKeyController)
CPE: cpe:2.3:a:orionsec:orion_ops:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

Discovery Timeline

2025-12-01 - CVE-2025-13807 published to NVD
2026-09-30 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-13807

Vulnerability Analysis

Orion-Ops is a Java-based host operations platform that manages SSH keys and remote machine credentials. The MachineKeyController exposes REST endpoints for retrieving and managing machine keys used to authenticate to downstream hosts. The controller fails to enforce proper authorization checks on requests, allowing an authenticated low-privilege user to query key records that should be restricted to administrators or specific tenants.

Because Orion-Ops centralizes credentials for managed infrastructure, improper authorization in a key-management endpoint can expose material used for downstream lateral movement. The attack is network-reachable and requires only standard user credentials, which lowers the barrier for insider abuse or post-authentication exploitation chains. The vendor was contacted but did not respond, and no patched commit has been published for this issue.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient authorization logic in the MachineKeyController request handlers. The controller validates that a session is authenticated but does not verify whether the caller is entitled to the requested machine-key resource. This maps directly to [CWE-266], where privilege checks are incorrectly assigned or omitted at the controller layer.

Attack Vector

An authenticated attacker sends HTTP requests to the exposed MachineKeyController endpoints over the network. Because the endpoint does not validate resource ownership or role scope, the response returns machine key data outside the attacker's assigned permissions. A public proof-of-concept is available on GitHub. Refer to the GitHub PoC for Orion Ops for request details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-13807

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests from low-privilege user sessions to MachineKeyController endpoints within the Orion-Ops API path.
Spikes in machine-key read operations from a single account or source IP that do not match normal operator workflows.
Access to machine-key records belonging to tenants or host groups outside the user's assigned scope.

Detection Strategies

Enable verbose access logging on the Orion-Ops web tier and alert on unauthorized access to /machineKey paths.
Correlate authenticated API calls with role assignments to detect scope violations in machine-key reads.
Review audit logs for machine-key list or detail queries originating from accounts that have no legitimate need for credential inventory.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward Orion-Ops application and web server logs to a centralized logging platform for retention and query.
Baseline normal operator behavior against MachineKeyController endpoints and alert on deviations.
Monitor downstream SSH authentication logs on managed hosts for key reuse from unexpected source systems.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-13807

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to the Orion-Ops management interface to trusted administrative networks only.
Rotate all machine keys managed by Orion-Ops if logs show unexplained access to the MachineKeyController endpoint.
Audit user accounts and remove unused or over-privileged roles in the Orion-Ops platform.
Monitor the Orion-Ops GitHub repository for a patched release addressing the authorization gap.

Patch Information

No vendor patch is currently available. The vendor was contacted and did not respond to the disclosure. Operators should track the upstream repository and the VulDB #333817 Overview entry for updates. Until a fix is published, apply compensating controls at the network and identity layers.

Workarounds

Place Orion-Ops behind an authenticating reverse proxy that enforces IP allow-listing and multi-factor authentication for all users.
Disable or restrict access to the MachineKeyController routes at the web server or API gateway layer where feasible.
Reduce the number of accounts with Orion-Ops login privileges and enforce least-privilege role assignments.

bash

# Example nginx block to restrict MachineKeyController access to an admin subnet
location ~* /orion-ops-api/.*machineKey.* {
    allow 10.0.10.0/24;
    deny all;
    proxy_pass http://orion-ops-backend;
}