CVE-2024-21641 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

This CVE involves a vulnerability in Flarum's Logout Route that allows open redirects. The issue was identified by GitHub_M and has a high severity level.

Understanding CVE-2024-21641

Flarum, an open-source discussion platform, had a security flaw in its

/logout

route that allowed third parties to redirect users from a trusted domain to any link. The vulnerability existed in versions of Flarum framework prior to 1.8.5.

What is CVE-2024-21641?

The CVE-2024-21641 vulnerability in Flarum's Logout Route allows for URL redirection to an untrusted site, also known as an 'Open Redirect,' due to the inclusion of a redirect parameter in the logout route.

The Impact of CVE-2024-21641

The impact of this vulnerability is rated as high, with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5. It could be exploited by spammers to redirect users to malicious web addresses using a trusted domain of a Flarum installation.

Technical Details of CVE-2024-21641

This section provides more insights into the vulnerability, including its description, affected systems and versions, and the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The Flarum

/logout

route allowed for immediate redirection of guests and logged-in users to any web address using a redirect parameter, which could be exploited by malicious actors for phishing or spamming purposes.

Affected Systems and Versions

The vulnerability impacts Flarum framework versions prior to 1.8.5. Any installations running versions older than 1.8.5 are at risk of open redirection attacks through the

/logout

route.

Exploitation Mechanism

By leveraging the redirect parameter in the Flarum Logout Route, attackers could manipulate the redirection behavior, tricking users into visiting malicious websites by posing as a trusted domain.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address the CVE-2024-21641 vulnerability in Flarum's Logout Route, immediate actions and long-term security practices are recommended.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users should update their Flarum framework to version 1.8.5 or newer to mitigate the risk of open redirects through the logout route.
System administrators can implement patches provided by Flarum to address the vulnerability effectively.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly updating software and frameworks to the latest versions helps in staying protected against known vulnerabilities and security exploits.

Patching and Updates

Flarum has released a fix for this vulnerability in version 1.8.5 of the framework. It is crucial for users to apply this patch promptly to secure their installations from potential security threats.