Summary
Dusk plugin may allow unfettered user authentication in misconfigured installs
The Dusk plugin provides some special routes as part of its testing framework to allow a browser environment (such as headless Chrome) to act as a user in the Backend or User plugin without having to go through authentication. This route is [[URL]]/_dusk/login/[[USER ID]]/[[MANAGER]] - where [[URL]] is the base URL of the site, [[USER ID]] is the ID of the user account and [[MANAGER]] is the authentication manager (either backend for Backend, or user for the User plugin).
If a configuration of a site using the Dusk plugin is set up in such a way that the Dusk plugin is available publicly and the test cases in Dusk are run with live data, this route may potentially be used to gain access to any user account in either the Backend or User plugin without authentication.
As indicated in the README, this plugin should only be used in development and should NOT be used in a production instance. It is specifically recommended that the plugin be installed as a development dependency only in Composer.
In order to remediate this issue, the special routes used above will now no longer be registered unless the APP_ENV environment variable is specifically set to dusk. Since Winter by default does not use this environment variable and it is not populated by default, it will only exist if Dusk's automatic configuration is used (which won't exhibit this vulnerability) or if a developer manually specifies it in their configuration.
The automatic configuration performed by the Dusk plugin has also been hardened by default to use sane defaults and not allow external environment variables to leak into this configuration.
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Email us at [email protected]
Impact
Low. This will only affect users in which the Winter CMS installation meets ALL the following criteria:
- The Dusk plugin is installed in the Winter CMS instance.
- The application is in production mode (ie. the
debugconfig value is set totrueinconfig/app.php). - The Dusk plugin's automatic configuration has been overridden, either by providing a custom
.env.duskfile or by providing custom configuration in theconfig/duskfolder, or by providing configuration environment variables externally. - The environment has been configured to use production data in the database for testing, and not the temporary SQLite database that Dusk uses by default.
- The application is connectable via the web.
The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access. Typical impact: privilege escalation beyond the intended level.
CVE-2024-32003 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.1.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
Issue has been fixed in v2.1.0.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2024-32003? CVE-2024-32003 is a high-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in winter/wn-dusk-plugin (composer), affecting versions < 2.1.0. It is fixed in 2.1.0. The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access.
- How severe is CVE-2024-32003? CVE-2024-32003 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of winter/wn-dusk-plugin are affected by CVE-2024-32003? winter/wn-dusk-plugin (composer) versions < 2.1.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-32003? Yes. CVE-2024-32003 is fixed in 2.1.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2024-32003 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-32003 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2024-32003 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2024-32003? Upgrade
winter/wn-dusk-pluginto 2.1.0 or later.