Critical Vulnerabilities in Production Systems

1. Exposed User Authentication Endpoint

A critical vulnerability was identified where the /api/UserAuthentication endpoint was publicly accessible, exposing sensitive user data including usernames, hashed passwords, emails, and reset tokens.

Exploit Example

Request:

GET /api/UserAuthentication

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "status": 200,
  "data": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "username": "admin",
      "password": "$2a$10$...",
      "usertype": "Staff",
      "email": "noreply@acharya.ac.in"
      // ...additional fields...
    }
    // ...more user records...
  ]
}

Attack Vectors

• Credential Harvesting: Download of all usernames, emails, and hashed passwords.
• Brute Force Attacks: Offline password cracking attempts.
• Account Takeover: Unauthorized access via cracked credentials.
• Password Reset Exploitation: Use of exposed reset tokens.
• Data Enumeration: Mapping of user base and roles.

Immediate Mitigation

1. Restrict Public Access: Block /api/UserAuthentication endpoint.
2. Invalidate Reset Tokens: Expire all password reset tokens.
3. Force Password Resets: Require all users to change passwords.

Critical Alert: Immediate action is required to prevent data breaches and unauthorized access.

Primary Attack Scenarios

• 🔐 Credential Harvesting: Attackers can download all usernames, emails, and hashed passwords
• ⚡ Brute Force Attacks: Even with bcrypt hashing, attackers can attempt to crack passwords offline
• 👤 Account Takeover: Successful password cracking leads to unauthorized access
• 🔑 Password Reset Exploitation: Exposed reset tokens can be used to hijack accounts
• 📊 Data Enumeration: Attackers can map your entire user base, roles, and organizational structure

Immediate Mitigation Strategy

⚠️ Emergency Actions (Do Now)

1. Block Public Access: Immediately restrict the /api/UserAuthentication endpoint
2. Invalidate Reset Tokens: Force expire all password reset tokens
3. Force Password Resets: Require all users to change passwords immediately