CVE-2025-45617: Megagao Production Ssm Info Disclosure

CVE-2025-45617 Overview

CVE-2025-45617 is an incorrect access control vulnerability affecting the /user/list component in megagao production_ssm version 0.0.1-SNAPSHOT. This broken access control flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to access sensitive user information via crafted network requests to the vulnerable endpoint. The vulnerability enables unauthorized data retrieval from the application's user management functionality.

Critical Impact

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to retrieve sensitive user information without authentication, potentially exposing personal data, credentials, or other confidential information stored in the user list.

Affected Products

• megagao production_ssm version 0.0.1-SNAPSHOT

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-05-05 - CVE-2025-45617 published to NVD
• 2025-10-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-45617

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under CWE-284 (Improper Access Control), indicating that the application fails to properly restrict access to the /user/list endpoint. The flaw allows network-based attackers to bypass authorization mechanisms and directly query user data without requiring any privileges or user interaction.

The vulnerability affects the user enumeration functionality within the production_ssm application. When exploited, attackers can craft HTTP requests to the /user/list endpoint and receive sensitive user information that should only be accessible to authenticated and authorized users. The high confidentiality impact combined with the lack of authentication requirements makes this a significant security concern for any deployment of the affected software.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper access control implementation in the /user/list component. The application fails to verify user authentication and authorization before processing requests to this sensitive endpoint. This missing security constraint allows any network-accessible client to retrieve user data without proper credentials or permission checks.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based with low complexity requirements. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability remotely by sending crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable /user/list endpoint. No privileges are required, and no user interaction is necessary for successful exploitation. The attack results in unauthorized disclosure of confidential user information stored within the application.

The vulnerability can be exploited by sending a direct HTTP request to the /user/list endpoint. Due to the missing access control checks, the server responds with user data that should be protected. Technical details regarding the specific payload structure can be found in the GitHub Issue Discussion.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-45617

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or unauthorized HTTP requests to the /user/list endpoint from external IP addresses
• Abnormal access patterns to user management APIs outside of normal administrative workflows
• Requests to the /user/list endpoint lacking proper authentication headers or session tokens

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web application logs for unauthenticated requests to the /user/list endpoint
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and alert on suspicious access patterns to user enumeration endpoints
• Deploy anomaly detection to identify bulk data extraction attempts from user management APIs

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed access logging for all user management endpoints in production_ssm
• Configure alerts for requests to sensitive endpoints that lack valid authentication credentials
• Regularly audit access logs for evidence of unauthorized data access attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-45617

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the /user/list endpoint using firewall rules or reverse proxy configurations
• Implement authentication and authorization checks for all user management endpoints
• Review and audit all exposed API endpoints for similar access control issues
• Consider taking the affected application offline until proper access controls are implemented

Patch Information

No official patch information is currently available from the vendor. Organizations should monitor the GitHub Issue Discussion for updates regarding fixes and security patches. Given this is a development snapshot version (0.0.1-SNAPSHOT), users should consider whether this software is appropriate for production environments.

Workarounds

• Place the application behind an authentication proxy to enforce access control at the network layer
• Implement IP whitelisting to restrict access to trusted administrative networks only
• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF to block unauthenticated requests to the /user/list endpoint
• Disable or remove the vulnerable endpoint if user listing functionality is not required

# Example nginx configuration to restrict access to vulnerable endpoint
location /user/list {
    # Restrict to internal network only
    allow 10.0.0.0/8;
    allow 192.168.0.0/16;
    deny all;
    
    # Alternatively, require authentication
    auth_basic "Restricted Access";
    auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/.htpasswd;
    
    proxy_pass http://backend;
}