Flame through 2.4.0 Authentication Bypass via Brute Force

Executive Summary

Flame through 2.4.0 has an improper restriction of excessive authentication attempts vulnerability in the login endpoint. This allows unauthenticated attackers to brute-force the admin password by submitting unlimited password guesses without any rate limiting, attempt counters, lockouts, or delays.

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Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, monitor login attempts to the POST /api/auth endpoint in Flame through 2.4.0. Check for repeated failed login attempts without rate limiting or account lockouts. Use network traffic analysis tools like tcpdump or Wireshark to capture and inspect HTTP POST requests to /api/auth for excessive authentication attempts.

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Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to gain full administrator access and modify application configuration, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, system compromise, or further attacks within the environment.

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Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, violating confidentiality requirements in GDPR and HIPAA. Organizations may face compliance violations, legal penalties, and reputational damage due to insufficient authentication controls.

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Mitigation Strategies

Immediately upgrade Flame to a version that fixes the improper restriction of excessive authentication attempts vulnerability. Implement rate limiting on the POST /api/auth login endpoint to prevent brute-force attacks. Enable account lockouts after a few failed attempts and introduce delays between login attempts to slow down attackers.

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