Security Advisory WSO2-2020-0787

Published: September 02, 2021

Version: 1.0.0

Severity: Medium

CVSS Score: 6.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N)

AFFECTED PRODUCTS

  • WSO2 IS as Key Manager : 5 .5.0 , 5.6.0 , 5.7.0 , 5.9.0 , 5.10.0
  • WSO2 Identity Server : 5.10.0 or earlier

OVERVIEW

One Time Password (OTP) usage in multi-factor authentication is vulnerable to brute force attacks.

DESCRIPTION

When an OTP authenticator is configured as part of multi-factor authentication, it is possible to attempt brute forcing the OTP since those authenticators do not have a mechanism to prevent multiple failed attempts.

IMPACT

The probability of successful exploitation of this vulnerability is quite low because;

a. The attacker needs to bypass the other steps in the authentication chain prior to this attack.

b. The complexity of a brute force attack depends on the number of digits of OTPs.

If an attacker succeeds in brute forcing an OTP, it might be possible to gain access to the application by impersonating it as a legitimate user. There could be an impact on the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the affected application based on the functionality provided to the user.

SOLUTION

If the latest version of the affected WSO2 product is not mentioned under the affected product list, you may migrate to the latest version to receive security fixes.

Otherwise, you may apply the relevant fixes to the product based on the public fix(s):

  • https://github.com/wso2-extensions/identity-outbound-auth-email-otp/pull/79
  • https://github.com/wso2-extensions/identity-outbound-auth-totp/pull/73
  • https://github.com/wso2-extensions/identity-outbound-auth-sms-otp/pull/91

Info

If you are a WSO2 customer with a support subscription, use WSO2 Updates in order to apply the fix.