CVE-2019-3715 in RSA Archer
Summary
by MITRE
RSA Archer versions, prior to 6.5 SP1, contain an information exposure vulnerability. Users' session information is logged in plain text in the RSA Archer log files. An authenticated malicious local user with access to the log files may obtain the exposed information to use it in further attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/01/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-3715 represents a critical information exposure flaw within RSA Archer platforms prior to version 6.5 Service Pack 1. This vulnerability stems from improper handling of session information within the application's logging mechanisms, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on the platform for their governance, risk, and compliance operations. The flaw specifically affects the logging infrastructure where user session data is written to log files in plaintext format, bypassing standard security measures that should protect sensitive authentication and session tokens.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the application's logging subsystem failing to properly sanitize or encrypt session-related data before writing it to persistent storage. When authenticated users interact with the RSA Archer platform, their session identifiers, authentication tokens, and potentially other sensitive session attributes are recorded in the system logs without adequate protection. This plaintext logging behavior violates fundamental security principles and creates a direct pathway for unauthorized access to active user sessions. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-200, which specifically addresses "Information Exposure," and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1070.004 for "Indicator Removal on Host: File Deletion" when considering the potential for attackers to leverage this information to manipulate or remove evidence of their activities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it provides a malicious insider or attacker with the capability to escalate privileges and maintain persistent access to the platform. An authenticated local user with access to the log files can extract session information that may include session IDs, authentication tokens, or other identifying information that could be used to impersonate legitimate users. This creates a particularly dangerous scenario for organizations where the same system hosts both the application and its logging infrastructure, as a compromised local account with read access to log files can effectively gain access to other users' sessions without needing to perform additional authentication challenges. The vulnerability essentially undermines the authentication mechanisms that should protect user sessions, making it easier for attackers to conduct session hijacking attacks and maintain unauthorized access to sensitive governance and compliance data.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to RSA Archer version 6.5 SP1 or later, which addresses the plaintext logging issue through proper session data sanitization. Additional protective measures include implementing strict access controls over log file directories, employing log file encryption where plaintext logging cannot be eliminated, and establishing monitoring procedures to detect unauthorized access to logging infrastructure. Security teams should also consider implementing session management policies that automatically invalidate sessions after periods of inactivity and deploy comprehensive logging and monitoring solutions that can detect suspicious access patterns to log files. The remediation process must include thorough review of existing log files for potential exposure, implementation of proper log rotation and retention policies, and establishment of privileged access management controls to limit who can access system logs containing sensitive session information.