CVE-2022-23331 in DataEase
Summary
by MITRE • 02/08/2022
In DataEase v1.6.1, an authenticated user can gain unauthorized access to all user information and can change the administrator password.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/12/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-23331 represents a critical authorization flaw within DataEase version 1.6.1 that fundamentally undermines the system's security model. This issue manifests as an insufficient authorization check that allows authenticated users to bypass normal access controls and obtain unrestricted access to all user data within the application. The flaw resides in the application's privilege management system where proper role-based access controls fail to enforce mandatory access restrictions, creating a pathway for privilege escalation that directly violates security principles outlined in the CWE-285 category for improper authorization. The vulnerability specifically affects the authentication and authorization mechanisms that should separate user roles and maintain data isolation between different user accounts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from a lack of proper access control validation within the application's backend services. When an authenticated user makes requests to retrieve or modify user information, the system fails to verify whether the requesting user has legitimate authorization to access or alter the target user's data. This weakness creates an arbitrary access control bypass scenario where any authenticated user can manipulate the application's user management functions to view all user records and modify administrative credentials. The flaw demonstrates a classic case of insecure direct object reference vulnerability as described in CWE-639, where the application fails to validate user permissions before processing requests that involve user data manipulation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations utilizing DataEase v1.6.1, as it provides attackers with complete visibility into the user base and the ability to assume administrative privileges. An attacker who gains access to any legitimate user account can exploit this vulnerability to escalate their privileges and gain full control over the system. This compromise allows for unauthorized data exfiltration, account manipulation, and potential lateral movement within the network. The ability to change administrator passwords creates a persistent backdoor that can remain undetected for extended periods, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where DataEase might be used for business-critical data management and analytics. The flaw directly aligns with attack patterns described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and credential access techniques, specifically targeting the T1078 and T1566 tactics.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest version of DataEase where this vulnerability has been patched, implementing additional access controls through network segmentation, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of the application's user management functions. The recommended remediation strategy involves enforcing proper authorization checks at every data access point, implementing role-based access control mechanisms, and conducting regular penetration testing to identify similar authorization flaws. Security teams should also establish monitoring procedures to detect unauthorized access attempts and privilege escalation activities, particularly focusing on user account modifications and data access patterns that deviate from normal operational behavior. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of proper access control implementation and the necessity of following security best practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks to prevent similar issues in the future.