CVE-2019-5643 in Basic Laboratory Information System
Summary
by MITRE
Computing For Good's Basic Laboratory Information System (also known as C4G BLIS) version 3.5 and earlier suffers from an instance of CWE-284, "Improper Access Control." As a result, an unauthenticated user may enumerate the user names and facility names in use on a particular installation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/05/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-5643 affects Computing For Good's Basic Laboratory Information System version 3.5 and earlier, representing a critical access control flaw that exposes sensitive user and facility information to unauthorized parties. This issue manifests as an improper access control condition classified under CWE-284, which specifically addresses situations where system components fail to properly enforce access restrictions. The BLIS system, designed for laboratory information management, becomes vulnerable to information disclosure when unauthenticated users can access internal data structures without proper authentication or authorization mechanisms. The flaw enables attackers to enumerate user accounts and facility names through direct interaction with the application's data access points, potentially exposing organizational infrastructure details that could aid in subsequent attack planning.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate access control checks within the application's authentication framework. When users attempt to access certain endpoints or data resources, the system fails to verify proper authorization levels before returning information about existing user accounts or facility configurations. This misconfiguration allows attackers to systematically probe the application's interface and extract user enumeration data, effectively bypassing the intended security boundaries. The vulnerability specifically impacts the application's user management and facility configuration modules where access controls are either completely absent or improperly implemented, creating pathways for unauthorized data exposure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with foundational intelligence for more sophisticated attacks. By enumerating valid user accounts, threat actors can conduct targeted credential brute force attacks or social engineering campaigns with increased success rates. Facility name enumeration exposes organizational structure and operational details that could reveal sensitive information about laboratory operations, resource allocation, and potentially critical infrastructure locations. This intelligence gathering capability represents a significant risk to organizations deploying the affected BLIS version, as it provides attackers with the initial reconnaissance data needed to plan more targeted and effective infiltration strategies.
Organizations utilizing C4G BLIS version 3.5 or earlier should prioritize immediate remediation through official vendor updates or patches addressing the improper access control implementation. The vulnerability directly contradicts fundamental security principles outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1087.001 for account discovery, making it a critical concern for defensive security operations. System administrators should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure while awaiting patch deployment, and conduct thorough security assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper security testing during software development lifecycle phases, particularly in authentication and authorization implementation, as specified in ISO/IEC 27001 security controls and OWASP Top Ten security risks.