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CVE-2024-9313 — Vulnerability in github.com/ubuntu/authd — CVE Details

HIGH

PAM module may allow accessing with the credentials of another user

Published October 3, 2024Updated January 21, 2025Source: osv

Summary

Authd PAM module up to version 0.3.4 can allow broker-managed users to impersonate any other user managed by the same broker and perform any PAM operation with it, including authenticating as them. This is possible using tools such as `su`, `sudo` or `ssh` (and potentially others) that, so far, do not ensure that the PAM user at the end of the transaction is matching the one who initiated the transaction. Authd 0.3.5 fixes this by not allowing changing the user unless it was never set before in the PAM stack. `su` version that will include https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/pull/3206 will not be affected `ssh` version that will include https://github.com/openssh/openssh-portable/pull/521 will not be affected `sudo` version that will include https://github.com/sudo-project/sudo/pull/412 will not be affected `login` not affected `passwd` not affected <details> <summary>Old report</summary> ### Summary An user can access as another user using its own credentials ### Details I feel we’ve a security issue that is due to the fact that we allow changing the user in the cases in which that’s already provided by PAM, I’ve not tested this using the entra-id broker but it’s reproducible with the example one, but unless I’m missing something it should be independent from the broker in use. Basically, by going to the user selection page we allow to login as any user by entering the use own credentials. See for example: https://asciinema.org/a/VIcjpDImomaGu0wxsJJxNdmlf or https://asciinema.org/a/CV3D1gaEhn2yclqSMKCnifYPo Basically it’s possible to logging in as `user1` using the credentials of `user2` or `user3`. The issue doesn’t affect login or passwd, but it does affect `su` and `sshd`, since in both cases they don’t check if the `PAM_USER` changed before the final authentication. Now, while those tools should likely be fixed to only read the PAM_USER once pam gave them the final ok, I think authd should not allow changing the user at all when it has been provided by PAM. </details>

Advisory Timeline

  • First published October 3, 2024 (739 days ago).
  • Last revised January 21, 2025 — 110 days after initial publication.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

Go
Update github.com/ubuntu/authd to 0.3.5 or later
go get github.com/ubuntu/authd@v0.3.5
Go
Update github.com/ubuntu/authd to 0.0.0-20240930103526-63e527496b01 or later
go get github.com/ubuntu/authd@v0.0.0-20240930103526-63e527496b01

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (2)

Affects 1 ecosystem: go (1).

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
github.com/ubuntu/authd
go
All versions0.3.5
github.com/ubuntu/authd
go
All versions0.0.0-20240930103526-63e527496b01

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

  • CWE-287
    Improper AuthenticationMITRE

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 8.8 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-9313?
PAM module may allow accessing with the credentials of another user This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of HIGH (CVSS score: 8.8/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2024-9313?
CVE-2024-9313 affects github.com/ubuntu/authd. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2024-9313 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
8.8

High exploitability or significant impact. Prioritize remediation within days.

Also Known As

GHSA-x5q3-c8rm-w787
GO-2024-3181

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