CVE-2022-31007 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

A vulnerability in eLabFTW allows an authenticated user with an administrator role to escalate privileges, potentially compromising system security.

Understanding CVE-2022-20657

This CVE discloses a flaw in eLabFTW versions prior to 4.3.0, enabling an authenticated user to grant themselves system administrator privileges or create a new admin account within the application.

What is CVE-2022-20657?

eLabFTW, an electronic lab notebook manager, experienced a vulnerability that permitted an authorized user to elevate their permissions to system administrator status. This security issue was rectified in version 4.3.0 of the software.

The Impact of CVE-2022-20657

Despite the severity of the privilege escalation vulnerability, exploitation requires access to an administrator account. Regular user accounts are unable to exploit this vulnerability to gain admin rights.

Technical Details of CVE-2022-20657

The technical aspects of the CVE-related vulnerability in eLabFTW are detailed below.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability allowed an authenticated user with administrative privileges to assign itself system administrator rights or create a new admin account in eLabFTW.

Affected Systems and Versions

eLabFTW versions prior to 4.3.0 are affected by this vulnerability.

Exploitation Mechanism

An attacker needs to have access to an administrator account to exploit this privilege escalation vulnerability in eLabFTW.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address and prevent the impact of CVE-2022-20657, follow these measures.

Immediate Steps to Take

Consider immediate actions such as upgrading to eLabFTW version 4.3.0 to mitigate the privilege escalation risk.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement strict user access control policies to minimize the potential for unauthorized privilege escalation within eLabFTW.

Patching and Updates

Regularly update eLabFTW to the latest version to ensure that security patches are applied and vulnerabilities are mitigated.