CVE-2017-9653 in PI Integrator for Business Analytics
Summary
by MITRE
An Improper Authorization issue was discovered in OSIsoft PI Integrator for Business Analytics before 2016 R2, PI Integrator for Microsoft Azure before 2016 R2 SP1, and PI Integrator for SAP HANA before 2017. An attacker is able to gain privileged access to the system while unauthorized.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/09/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9653 represents a critical improper authorization flaw within OSIsoft PI Integrator products, specifically affecting versions prior to 2016 R2 for Business Analytics, 2016 R2 SP1 for Microsoft Azure, and 2017 for SAP HANA. This authorization weakness creates a significant security risk by allowing unauthorized actors to escalate their privileges and gain elevated system access. The issue stems from inadequate access control mechanisms that fail to properly validate user credentials and permissions during authentication processes, enabling malicious users to bypass normal security boundaries and assume administrative roles within the system environment.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability operates at the application level authorization controls, which aligns with CWE-285 - Improper Authorization, a common weakness that occurs when applications fail to properly enforce access control policies. The flaw manifests when the system does not adequately verify user identities or roles before granting access to sensitive functions, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate session tokens, exploit weak authentication flows, or leverage existing user credentials to escalate privileges. The affected systems typically employ authentication mechanisms that do not sufficiently validate the legitimacy of access requests, creating pathways for unauthorized individuals to perform privileged operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to potentially compromise entire system infrastructures through privilege escalation. Once an attacker successfully exploits this weakness, they can access sensitive data, modify system configurations, manipulate database contents, and potentially establish persistent backdoors within the organization's industrial control systems. This represents a particularly concerning risk for industrial environments where OSIsoft PI Integrator products are commonly deployed for process automation and data management. The vulnerability directly impacts the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical operational data, potentially affecting production processes and safety systems.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates for affected versions, strengthening authentication controls, implementing role-based access control policies, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of their industrial control system environments. The remediation process should include reviewing existing user accounts and permissions, implementing multi-factor authentication where possible, and establishing network segmentation to limit lateral movement. Additionally, security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual access patterns and privilege escalation attempts, as this vulnerability could be exploited through various attack vectors including credential theft, session hijacking, or exploitation of weak authentication implementations. The remediation efforts must align with industry best practices and security frameworks such as those outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and ISO 27001 standards for information security management.