CVE-2017-14369 in RSA Archer GRC
Summary
by MITRE
RSA Archer GRC Platform prior to 6.2.0.5 is affected by a privilege escalation vulnerability. A low privileged RSA Archer user may potentially exploit this vulnerability to elevate their privileges and export certain application records.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/16/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-14369 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within the RSA Archer GRC Platform version 6.2.0.4 and earlier releases. This vulnerability resides in the platform's access control mechanisms, specifically targeting the authorization model that governs user permissions and record access. The RSA Archer GRC Platform serves as a comprehensive governance, risk, and compliance solution that organizations rely upon to manage sensitive business data, making this vulnerability particularly concerning from a cybersecurity perspective.
The technical flaw manifests through inadequate input validation and insufficient access control checks within the platform's export functionality. A low privileged user, who typically would only have read-only or limited access permissions, can exploit this weakness to manipulate the system's authorization framework. This occurs through the exploitation of improper validation of user permissions during the export process, allowing the attacker to bypass normal access restrictions. The vulnerability specifically affects the platform's ability to properly verify whether a user has adequate privileges to export certain application records, enabling unauthorized elevation of privileges. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-285: Improper Authorization, which encompasses issues where systems fail to properly enforce access controls or authorization checks.
The operational impact of this privilege escalation vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized data access, as it fundamentally undermines the platform's security model and data integrity. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can potentially access and export sensitive records that should be restricted to higher privileged users only. This could include compliance reports, risk assessments, business critical data, and other sensitive information that organizations typically restrict to authorized personnel. The ability to export application records with elevated privileges means that an attacker could gather comprehensive intelligence about an organization's governance and risk management practices, potentially compromising the organization's overall security posture and regulatory compliance status. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004: Valid Accounts - Cloud Accounts, as it allows attackers to leverage existing user accounts to gain elevated access within the platform environment.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to RSA Archer GRC Platform version 6.2.0.5 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the authorization bypass. System administrators should also conduct comprehensive audits of user permissions and access controls, ensuring that the principle of least privilege is properly enforced. Additional mitigations include implementing network segmentation to limit access to the RSA Archer platform, monitoring export activities for anomalous behavior, and conducting regular security assessments of the platform's access control mechanisms. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and authorization checks in enterprise security platforms, emphasizing that even seemingly minor access control flaws can have significant implications for organizational security and compliance requirements.