CVE-2022-38817

Vulnerability

Description CVE-2022-38817 is an incorrect access control vulnerability in the Dapr Dashboard, versions 0.1.0 through 0.10.0. The Dapr Dashboard is a web-based user interface for the Dapr runtime, used to view information about applications, components, configurations, and control plane services. The vulnerability allows attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms and access sensitive data without proper authorization. [1]

Exploitation

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted requests to the Dapr Dashboard instance without needing any prior authentication. The attack does not require any special network position, as the dashboard is often exposed on a network port (e.g., locally on port 8080 or within a Kubernetes cluster). The primary attack surface is the dashboard's API or web interface which fails to enforce access controls on certain endpoints. [2][3]

Impact

Successful exploitation enables an unauthenticated attacker to obtain plaintext configuration information for cloud applications such as Redis, MongoDB, RabbitMQ, and others. This stolen configuration can then be used to access the actual data stores, leading to data breaches. Additionally, on versions with the Actions option (verified on v0.2.0), an attacker can close the dashboard, causing a denial of service and potentially disrupting business operations. [3]

Mitigation

The vendor has not released a patched version for this specific issue. The recommended temporary mitigation is to apply strict whitelist access controls to the Dapr Dashboard assets, limiting access only to trusted IPs or networks. The permanent solution would involve implementing proper login authentication for the dashboard. Users are advised to follow the vendor's advisory and restrict network exposure until an update is available. [3]