Understanding and Mitigating CVE-2024-28120

Published on: 08-03-2024 By Soc Team

Overview of CVE-2024-28120: API Key Leak in codeium-chrome

On March 11, 2024, CVE-2024-28120 was published, uncovering a significant vulnerability in the open-source code completion plugin for the Chrome web browser known as codeium-chrome. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-284 and CWE-200, indicating improper access control and exposure of sensitive information to unauthorized actors.

This medium-severity vulnerability, with a CVSS score of 6.5, primarily impacts the integrity of the affected system. An attacker can exploit this weakness to steal a user's Codeium API key, impersonate the user on the backend autocomplete server, and potentially cause other significant issues.

Details of the Vulnerability

The core of the vulnerability lies in the service worker of the codeium-chrome extension, which fails to verify the sender when receiving external messages. This oversight allows an attacker to host a website, thereby accessing and stealing the user's Codeium API key. The stolen API key can then be used to impersonate the user on the backend server, leading to unauthorized access and manipulation of data.

According to the advisory, this issue remains unaddressed. Users should be vigilant in monitoring their API key usage to detect any unauthorized access as early as possible.

Mitigation Strategies

Though the vulnerability is not yet fixed, several mitigation strategies can help protect against potential exploitation:

  • Monitor API Key Usage: Regularly check the usage of your API key for any unauthorized activities. This can help in early detection of compromise and prevent further damage.
  • Restrict API Key Permissions: Limit the permissions associated with your API key to minimize the potential impact if it gets compromised. Ensure that the API key has only the necessary permissions required for operation.
  • Update to the Latest Version: Continuously monitor updates from the vendor. Although a fix hasn't been released yet, staying updated ensures any future patches are promptly applied once available.
  • Secure Development Practices: Developers should integrate secure coding practices into their workflows. Ensure that all message senders are appropriately validated to prevent potential misuse.

Additionally, users can refer to the following security advisories for more detailed information:

In conclusion, while the CVE-2024-28120 vulnerability exposes significant risks, implementing the above mitigation strategies can help in protecting your API key and ensuring the integrity of your operations. Stay vigilant and proactive in your security practices to guard against such vulnerabilities.