# CVE-2020-24683: Authentication Bypass in Symphony Plus

> Attackers can bypass authentication in ABB Symphony Plus Operations by exploiting client-side validation, allowing unauthorized server connections.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 22 Dec 2020
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-r3q7-7pwq-hqq8

## What is CVE-2020-24683?

CVE-2020-24683 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in ABB Ability™ Symphony® Plus Operations, published on 22 Dec 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The affected versions of S+ Operations (version 2.1 SP1 and earlier) used an approach for user authentication which relies on validation at the client node (client-side authentication). This is not as secure as having the server validate a client application before allowing a connection. Therefore, if the network communication or endpoints for these applications are not protected, unauthorized actors can bypass authentication and make unauthorized connections to the server application.

Weakness: CWE-669 (Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres), CWE-602 (Client-Side Enforcement of Server-Side Security), CWE-305 (Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-24683?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Abb Symphony \+ Historian, Abb Symphony \+ Operations.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-24683?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-24683 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-24683 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-24683 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in ABB Ability™ Symphony® Plus Operations

- [CVE-2020-24673](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-24673/): SQL Injection in Symphony Plus (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-24675](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-24675/): Weak Authentication in Symphony Plus (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-24674](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-24674/): Improper Authorization in Symphony Plus (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2020-24677](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-24677/): Insecure Web Service in Symphony Plus (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2020-24678](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-24678/): Potential Privilege Escalation in Symphony Plus (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-24683 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-24683 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in ABB Ability™ Symphony® Plus Operations, published on 22 Dec 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-24683 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: ABB Ability™ Symphony® Plus Operations. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-24683/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-24683/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-24683
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-24683
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-24683

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-24683/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.