CVE-2024-55076 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability identified in the Grocy project, an open-source web-based inventory and household management system. The vulnerability affects all versions through 4.3.0 due to the absence of CSRF protection mechanisms. CSRF attacks exploit the trust a web application places in a user's browser by tricking the user into submitting unauthorized requests. In this case, an attacker can craft a malicious request that, when executed by an authenticated user’s browser, changes the Administrator's password without their knowledge or consent. The vulnerability is critical because it requires no authentication or user interaction, and the attacker can execute it remotely over the network. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) indicates network attack vector, high attack complexity, no privileges or user interaction required, unchanged scope, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The lack of CSRF tokens or similar protections in Grocy’s web interface allows this attack vector. Although no exploits are currently known in the wild, the potential for unauthorized administrative control is significant. This vulnerability could allow attackers to lock out legitimate administrators, manipulate inventory data, or disrupt operations dependent on Grocy. The absence of patch links suggests that a fix may not yet be available, emphasizing the need for immediate mitigation steps.

The impact of CVE-2024-55076 is substantial for organizations relying on Grocy for inventory, asset, or household management. Unauthorized password changes to the Administrator account can lead to complete loss of administrative control, enabling attackers to manipulate or delete critical data, disrupt inventory tracking, and potentially cause operational downtime. Confidentiality is compromised as attackers gain unauthorized access; integrity is affected through unauthorized data modification; and availability can be disrupted if administrative functions are locked out or corrupted. Since Grocy is often used in environments managing physical assets or supply chains, such disruptions could cascade into broader logistical or operational issues. The vulnerability’s ease of exploitation over the network without authentication or user interaction increases the risk of widespread attacks, especially in environments where Grocy is exposed to untrusted networks or the internet. Organizations may face regulatory and compliance risks if sensitive inventory or operational data is compromised.

To mitigate CVE-2024-55076, organizations should immediately implement the following measures: 1) Restrict network access to Grocy instances by placing them behind firewalls or VPNs to limit exposure to untrusted networks. 2) Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules designed to detect and block CSRF attack patterns. 3) If possible, upgrade to a Grocy version that includes CSRF protections once available; monitor official Grocy project channels for patches. 4) Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrative accounts to reduce the impact of unauthorized password changes. 5) Regularly audit administrative account activities and monitor logs for suspicious password changes or access patterns. 6) Educate users about the risks of visiting untrusted websites while authenticated to Grocy, as CSRF attacks rely on the victim’s browser context. 7) Consider deploying custom CSRF tokens or other anti-CSRF mechanisms at the web server or reverse proxy level if upgrading is not immediately feasible. 8) Backup Grocy data regularly to enable recovery in case of compromise. These steps provide layered defense until an official patch is released.