Summary
Password Pusher Allows Session Token Interception Leading to Potential Hijacking
Workarounds
If self-hosting, ensure Password Pusher is hosted exclusively over SSL connections to encrypt traffic and prevent session cookies from being intercepted in transit. Additionally, implement best practices in local security to safeguard user systems, browsers, and data against unauthorized access.
To further mitigate session hijacking risks, Password Pusher implements the following security measures:
- Automatic Session Expiration: Sessions are automatically expired after 2 hours of inactivity, reducing the window for potential exploitation.
- Session Reset on Login and Logout: Sessions are fully reset both when a user logs in and logs out, ensuring that session tokens are not reusable post-logout. This practice invalidates old session tokens and issues new ones, minimizing the risk of session hijacking.
- Encrypted Cookies: Cookies are encrypted using the value of SECRET_KEY_BASE from the application's configuration. This encryption adds a layer of protection against tampering or reading the session cookie's contents if intercepted, although it doesn't prevent the cookie from being used if stolen.
Note: While these measures significantly enhance security, they are part of a broader security strategy.
References
Credits
Thank you to Positive Technologies for reporting and working with me to bring this CVE to the community.
Impact
A vulnerability has been reported in Password Pusher where an attacker can copy the session cookie before a user logs out, potentially allowing session hijacking.
Although the session token is replaced and invalidated upon logout, if an attacker manages to capture the session cookie before this process, they can use the token to gain unauthorized access to the user's session until the token expires or is manually cleared.
This vulnerability hinges on the attacker's ability to access the session cookie during an active session, either through a man-in-the-middle attack, by exploiting another vulnerability like XSS, or via direct access to the victim's device.
CVE-2024-56733 has a CVSS score of 5.7 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, high privileges required, and no user interaction. 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. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.
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.
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Although there is no direct resolution to this vulnerability, it is recommended to always use the latest version of Password Pusher to best mitigate risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2024-56733? CVE-2024-56733 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in pwpush (rubygems), affecting versions <= 1.50.3. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2024-56733? CVE-2024-56733 has a CVSS score of 5.7 (Medium). 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 pwpush are affected by CVE-2024-56733? pwpush (rubygems) versions <= 1.50.3 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-56733? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2024-56733 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2024-56733 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-56733 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-2024-56733 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.