Mailman Core 3.3.x REST API Timing Attack Exposes Password
CVE-2021-34337 Published on April 15, 2023
An issue was discovered in Mailman Core before 3.3.5. An attacker with access to the REST API could use timing attacks to determine the value of the configured REST API password and then make arbitrary REST API calls. The REST API is bound to localhost by default, limiting the ability for attackers to exploit this, but can optionally be made to listen on other interfaces.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2021-34337 can be exploited with local system access, and requires small amount of user privileges. This vulnerability is consided to have a high level of attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have a high impact on confidentiality and integrity, and no impact on availability.
Weakness Type
Observable Timing Discrepancy
Two separate operations in a product require different amounts of time to complete, in a way that is observable to an actor and reveals security-relevant information about the state of the product, such as whether a particular operation was successful or not. In security-relevant contexts, even small variations in timing can be exploited by attackers to indirectly infer certain details about the product's internal operations. For example, in some cryptographic algorithms, attackers can use timing differences to infer certain properties about a private key, making the key easier to guess. Timing discrepancies effectively form a timing side channel.
Products Associated with CVE-2021-34337
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Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.