CVE-2023-23612: Issue with whitespace in JWT roles in OpenSearch
Advisory title: Issue with whitespace in JWT roles
Affected versions: OpenSearch 1.0.0-1.3.7 and 2.0.0-2.4.1
Patched versions: OpenSearch 1.3.8 and 2.5.0
Impact: OpenSearch uses JWTs to store role claims obtained from the Identity Provider (IdP) when the authentication backend is SAML or OpenID Connect. There is an issue in how those claims are processed from the JWTs where the leading and trailing whitespace is trimmed, allowing users to potentially claim roles they are not assigned to if any role matches the whitespace-stripped version of the roles they are a member of.
This issue is only present for authenticated users, and it requires either the existence of roles that match, not considering leading/trailing whitespace, or the ability for users to create said matching roles. In addition, the Identity Provider must allow leading and trailing spaces in role names.
Patches: OpenSearch versions 1.3.8 and 2.5.0 contain a fix for this issue.
For more information: If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, please contact AWS/Amazon Security via our issue reporting page (https://aws.amazon.com/security/vulnerability-reporting/) or directly via email to aws-security@amazon.com. Please do not create a public GitHub issue.
Other sources
OpenSearch could allow a remote authenticated attacker to bypass security restrictions, caused by a flaw in with whitespace in JWT roles. By sending a specially-crafted request, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to bypass authentication and obtain access.
— IBM
OpenSearch is an open source distributed and RESTful search engine. OpenSearch uses JWTs to store role claims obtained from the Identity Provider (IdP) when the authentication backend is SAML or OpenID Connect. There is an issue in how those claims are processed from the JWTs where the leading and trailing whitespace is trimmed, allowing users to potentially claim roles they are not assigned to if any role matches the whitespace-stripped version of the roles they are a member of. This issue is only present for authenticated users, and it requires either the existence of roles that match, not considering leading/trailing whitespace, or the ability for users to create said matching roles. In addition, the Identity Provider must allow leading and trailing spaces in role names. OpenSearch 1.0.0-1.3.7 and 2.0.0-2.4.1 are affected. Users are advised to upgrade to OpenSearch 1.3.8 or 2.5.0. There are no known workarounds for this issue.
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2023-23612?
CVE-2023-23612 is a vulnerability in OpenSearch where there is an issue in how role claims obtained from the Identity Provider (IdP) are processed.
What is OpenSearch?
OpenSearch is an open source distributed and RESTful search engine.
How does OpenSearch use JWTs?
OpenSearch uses JWTs to store role claims obtained from the Identity Provider (IdP) when the authentication backend is SAML or OpenID Connect.
What is the severity of CVE-2023-23612?
The severity of CVE-2023-23612 is classified as high, with a severity value of 8.8.
How can I fix CVE-2023-23612?
To fix CVE-2023-23612, update OpenSearch to version 2.5.0 or later.