Vulnerability DatabaseCVE-2023-49314

CVE-2023-49314:
Asana vulnerability analysis and mitigation

Overview

Asana Desktop 2.1.0 on macOS contains a code injection vulnerability due to inadequate protection in specific Electron Fuses settings. The vulnerability affects settings such as RunAsNode and EnableNodeCliInspectArguments, which can be exploited using the r3ggi/electroniz3r tool (CVE Details, Electron Blog).

Technical details

The vulnerability exists in the Electron Fuses configuration of Asana Desktop 2.1.0 for macOS. By default, the RunAsNode and EnableNodeCliInspectArguments features are enabled, which could allow an attacker with local access to execute the application as a generic Node.js process with inherited TCC (Transparency, Consent, and Control) permissions. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (High) with vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (CVE Details).

Impact

If exploited, an attacker who already has local access or remote code execution capabilities can use the application to run arbitrary code with inherited permissions. For example, if the app has been granted access to the address book, the attacker can execute code that inherits that access. This is known as a 'living off the land' attack (Electron Blog).

Mitigation and workarounds

The recommended mitigation is to disable the RunAsNode fuse within the Electron app. This can be done using the @electron/fuses package. When disabled, process.fork in the main process will not function as expected. As an alternative, it is recommended to use Utility Processes for scenarios requiring standalone Node.js processes. Additionally, developers should follow Electron's security checklist for best practices (Electron Blog, Electron Fuses).

Community reactions

The Electron team has stated that they do not believe these CVEs were filed in good faith, noting that the vulnerability is not as critical as claimed since it requires pre-existing system access. They emphasized that while disabling the components enhances app security, the CVE severity level of 'Critical' is not appropriate for this type of vulnerability (Electron Blog).