Executive Summary

ThingsBoard version 4.3.0.1 and earlier have a vulnerability in their OAuth 2.0 authorization code exchange process. The application improperly trusts user-supplied identity data within the user parameter of the /login/oauth2/code/ endpoint. By manipulating the email address in this parameter, a remote attacker can bypass authentication.

This means the attacker can gain full access to any existing user account on the platform without needing the target user's credentials, resulting in a complete account takeover.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability allows an attacker to bypass authentication and gain full access to any user account on the ThingsBoard platform without knowing the user's password.

The impact is a complete account takeover, which can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, manipulation of user information, and potential misuse of the platform's functionalities under the victim's identity.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability can be detected by monitoring and intercepting HTTP requests to the /login/oauth2/code/ endpoint, specifically looking for manipulated user parameters containing email addresses that do not match the authenticated user.

One approach is to capture and analyze OAuth 2.0 authorization code exchange requests to check for suspicious modifications in the user JSON object.

Commands using tools like curl or intercepting proxies (e.g., Burp Suite) can be used to inspect these requests.

• Use a network proxy or packet capture tool (e.g., Wireshark, tcpdump) to capture traffic to /login/oauth2/code/ endpoint.
• Use curl to simulate or inspect requests: curl -v -X POST https://<thingsboard-server>/login/oauth2/code/ -d '{"user":{"email":"[email protected]"}}' -H 'Content-Type: application/json'
• Use an intercepting proxy like Burp Suite to modify the user parameter in real-time and observe if authentication bypass occurs.

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Mitigation Strategies

The immediate mitigation step is to upgrade ThingsBoard to a fixed version where this vulnerability is patched.

• Upgrade to ThingsBoard version v4.2.2.1 or v4.3.1.1 or later, where the authentication bypass issue has been fixed.

Until the upgrade can be applied, restrict access to the /login/oauth2/code/ endpoint and monitor for suspicious activity involving OAuth authorization requests.

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Compliance Impact

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to bypass authentication and gain full access to any existing user account without possessing the target user's credentials, resulting in a complete account takeover.

Such unauthorized access to user accounts can lead to exposure of sensitive personal data, which may violate data protection regulations like GDPR and HIPAA that require strict controls on access to personal and health information.

Therefore, this vulnerability can negatively impact compliance with these standards by undermining the confidentiality and integrity of user data.

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