CVE-2023-49091 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

This article provides detailed information about CVE-2023-49091, a vulnerability in Cosmos-Server that allows JWT tokens to never expire after a password change and logging out.

Understanding CVE-2023-49091

This section explains the impact, technical details, and mitigation steps related to the CVE-2023-49091 vulnerability.

What is CVE-2023-49091?

CVE-2023-49091 is a security vulnerability in Cosmos-Server where JWT tokens do not expire as expected after a password change and user logout. This can lead to unauthorized access to the application/system by attackers.

The Impact of CVE-2023-49091

The impact of CVE-2023-49091 is rated as HIGH, with confidentiality, integrity, and availability being affected. The vulnerability allows attackers to maintain access using unexpired tokens, posing a serious security risk.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-49091

This section dives into the vulnerability description, affected systems and versions, and the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

Cosmos-Server is vulnerable due to the authorization header used for user login remaining valid and not expiring after log out, allowing unauthorized access with unchanged tokens.

Affected Systems and Versions

The affected product is Cosmos-Server with versions prior to 0.13.0. Users with versions older than 0.13.0 are at risk of exploitation due to this vulnerability.

Exploitation Mechanism

The exploitation involves attackers leveraging the unexpired JWT token obtained during the login process to gain unauthorized access even after the user has logged out.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section outlines immediate steps to take and long-term security practices to mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2023-49091.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are advised to update to version 0.13.0 of Cosmos-Server to address the vulnerability. Additionally, all active sessions should be terminated to invalidate existing tokens.

Long-Term Security Practices

To prevent similar issues in the future, developers should implement proper session management techniques and ensure that JWT tokens have appropriate expiration times.

Patching and Updates

Regularly applying security patches and updates provided by the vendor is essential to maintain a secure environment and protect against known vulnerabilities.