CVE-2025-32781

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-32781 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the Apollo configuration management system, specifically in the Portal component. An authenticated low-privileged user can bypass permission checks enforced by UserPermissionValidator.shouldHideConfigToCurrentUser(...) when the configView.memberOnly.envs feature is enabled. By directly requesting a release by its ID via the GET /envs/{env}/releases/{releaseId} endpoint, an attacker can read sensitive configuration data from other applications and namespaces without proper authorization. This vulnerability has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium) and affects versions prior to 2.5.0. No public proof-of-concept or exploit code is currently available.

Supply Chain & Package Security

Apollo is a Java-based configuration management system commonly deployed in microservice environments. The vulnerability is in the Portal web application, which is typically distributed as a WAR file or Docker image. Organizations using Apollo should verify their deployment version and apply the patch immediately. The fix is included in version 2.5.0.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 6.5 (Medium)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
• Attack Vector: Network
• Attack Complexity: Low
• Privileges Required: Low (authenticated user)
• User Interaction: None
• Scope: Unchanged
• Confidentiality Impact: High
• Integrity Impact: None
• Availability Impact: None

The vulnerability allows an authenticated low-privileged user to read configuration data from other applications and namespaces. The confidentiality impact is high, but integrity and availability are not affected.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The Apollo Portal provides a REST API endpoint GET /envs/{env}/releases/{releaseId} that returns release details, including configuration data. When the configView.memberOnly.envs feature is enabled, the system is supposed to restrict access to configuration data based on user permissions. However, the permission check implemented by UserPermissionValidator.shouldHideConfigToCurrentUser(...) is not invoked for this endpoint. This means that any authenticated user can enumerate release IDs and retrieve configuration data from any application or namespace.

The vulnerability is in the controller handling the request. The code path does not call the permission validation method before returning the release data. An attacker can obtain valid release IDs through other means (e.g., guessing, observing logs, or using other endpoints) and then use this endpoint to exfiltrate sensitive configuration data.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (Pre-2.5.0):

@GetMapping("/envs/{env}/releases/{releaseId}")
public ReleaseDTO getReleaseById(@PathVariable String env, @PathVariable long releaseId) {
    // No permission check
    return releaseService.findReleaseById(env, releaseId);
}

Patched Code (2.5.0):

@GetMapping("/envs/{env}/releases/{releaseId}")
public ReleaseDTO getReleaseById(@PathVariable String env, @PathVariable long releaseId, HttpServletRequest request) {
    UserPermissionValidator.shouldHideConfigToCurrentUser(request, env, releaseId);
    return releaseService.findReleaseById(env, releaseId);
}

The fix adds a call to UserPermissionValidator.shouldHideConfigToCurrentUser(...) before returning the release data, ensuring that only authorized users can access configuration data.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

Prerequisites:

• Access to an Apollo Portal instance with configView.memberOnly.envs enabled (version < 2.5.0).
• Valid low-privileged user credentials.
• Knowledge of a valid release ID (can be obtained through enumeration or other means).

Exploitation Steps:

1. Authenticate to the Apollo Portal as a low-privileged user.
2. Obtain a valid release ID (e.g., by observing logs, using other endpoints, or guessing).
3. Send a GET request to the vulnerable endpoint:

   GET /envs/{env}/releases/{releaseId}
   

   Replace {env} with the environment name (e.g., DEV, PROD) and {releaseId} with the target release ID.
4. The response will contain the configuration data for that release, including sensitive information such as database credentials, API keys, and other secrets.

Example Request:

curl -X GET "http://apollo-portal.example.com/envs/DEV/releases/12345" \
  -H "Cookie: SESSION=valid_session_cookie"

Blue Team

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual access patterns to the /envs/{env}/releases/{releaseId} endpoint, especially from low-privileged users.
• Look for requests with sequential or guessed release IDs.
• Alert on any access to this endpoint by users who should not have permission to view configuration data for that application/namespace.

Hunting:

• Review access logs for the Apollo Portal, focusing on the GET /envs/{env}/releases/{releaseId} endpoint.
• Correlate user roles with the applications/namespaces they accessed.
• Check for any anomalies in the release IDs requested (e.g., out-of-range values, rapid enumeration).

Mitigation:

• Upgrade to Apollo 2.5.0 or later.
• If immediate upgrade is not possible, implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block requests to the vulnerable endpoint from low-privileged users.
• Restrict network access to the Apollo Portal to trusted IPs only.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network: HTTP requests to GET /envs/{env}/releases/{releaseId} from low-privileged users.
• Logs: Access logs showing requests to the vulnerable endpoint with unusual release IDs.
• User Behavior: Low-privileged users accessing configuration data for applications/namespaces they are not authorized to view.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_32781_Apollo_Portal_Missing_Auth
{
    meta:
        description = "Detects exploitation attempts of CVE-2025-32781 in Apollo Portal"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-32781"
        severity = "medium"
    strings:
        $endpoint = "/envs/"
        $release = "/releases/"
        $http_get = "GET"
    condition:
        $http_get and $endpoint and $release
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-32781 Apollo Portal Missing Authorization
id: 8a4b3c2d-1e5f-4a6b-9c8d-7e0f1a2b3c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects attempts to exploit missing authorization in Apollo Portal's release endpoint
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
references:
    - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-32781
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'GET'
        cs-uri-stem|startswith: '/envs/'
        cs-uri-stem|contains: '/releases/'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate access by authorized users
level: medium

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-32781 Apollo Portal Missing Authorization"; flow:to_server,established; content:"GET"; http_method; content:"/envs/"; http_uri; content:"/releases/"; http_uri; classtype:attempted-recon; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Upgrade Apollo Portal to version 2.5.0 or later.
2. If upgrade is not possible, apply a virtual patch using a WAF to block unauthorized access to the vulnerable endpoint.
3. Review access logs for any signs of exploitation.

Long-term Measures:

• Implement strict access controls and regular permission audits.
• Enable logging and monitoring for all API endpoints.
• Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing.

Workarounds:

• Disable the configView.memberOnly.envs feature if not required.
• Restrict network access to the Apollo Portal to trusted IPs only.

Valters IT
DevSecOps & Cyber Threat Intelligence