Horizon Alert
Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters
This vulnerability affects a plugin for the Grav content management system, potentially allowing an attacker to gain unauthorized full administrative access by exploiting a flaw in how API keys are created. The issue could enable further malicious actions, leading to significant compromise.
- API key flaw grants excessive permissions.
- Affects user access and system control.
- Confirm relevance and exposure for security.
Attack Path
How an attacker could exploit the issue
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by interacting with an API endpoint that manages API keys. Initially, the attacker needs an API key with limited permissions to access the system. They can then send a request to create a new API key, but instead of specifying any access permissions, they submit an empty list. This allows them to obtain a new API key with full administrative privileges, bypassing the intended security restrictions and potentially leading to further malicious actions like remote code execution.
- Entry point requires a minimal-scope API key.
- Triggered by creating a new API key with empty scopes.
- Risk of full administrative access and RCE.
Live Threat
Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context
The getgrav/grav-plugin-api plugin, when running with specific configurations, could allow an attacker to create new API keys with excessive permissions. This occurs because the plugin does not properly validate that the scopes of a newly created API key are a subset of the caller's scopes. An attacker could exploit this by leveraging an existing minimal-scope API key to mint an unscoped, full-access super key, potentially enabling further malicious actions such as altering configurations or achieving remote code execution.
- API keys and system configuration data.
- Via API requests to an affected plugin.
- Potential for unauthorized access and control.
Operational Fix
Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps
The getgrav/grav-plugin-api plugin's API key creation function requires immediate attention from platform or application owners. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this flaw to escalate privileges from a limited API key to a full-access super key, potentially leading to remote code execution. The first actionable step is to inventory all instances of the affected plugin, identify business-critical deployments, and confirm the accountable owner for remediation.
- Platform or application owners should own this issue.
- Verify all plugin installations and network exposure.
- Plan and coordinate urgent remediation actions.
