CVE-2022-2732 in OpenEMR
Summary
by MITRE • 08/09/2022
Missing Authorization in GitHub repository openemr/openemr prior to 7.0.0.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/25/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-2732 represents a critical authorization flaw within the openemr repository system prior to version 7.0.0.1. This issue falls under the category of insufficient authorization checks that can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive medical data and system functionalities. The vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of user permissions and access controls, allowing malicious actors to bypass normal authentication mechanisms and gain elevated privileges within the healthcare information system.
This authorization gap manifests as a failure to properly verify user credentials and roles before granting access to protected resources within the openemr platform. The flaw enables attackers to exploit the system by performing actions that should be restricted to authorized personnel only, potentially including patient record access, system configuration modifications, and administrative functions. The vulnerability exists at the application level where proper access control enforcement mechanisms are either missing or improperly implemented, creating a pathway for privilege escalation attacks. According to CWE classification, this represents a weakness in the authorization framework where the system fails to verify that an authenticated user has the necessary permissions to perform specific operations, directly correlating with CWE-285 which addresses improper authorization scenarios.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends significantly within healthcare environments where patient data confidentiality and system integrity are paramount. An attacker exploiting this flaw could gain unauthorized access to electronic health records, manipulate patient information, or even disrupt critical healthcare services. The potential for data breaches increases substantially as the vulnerability allows for unauthorized data exfiltration and system compromise. This weakness particularly affects healthcare organizations relying on openemr for patient management, as it creates opportunities for insider threats or external attacks to escalate privileges and access sensitive medical information. The attack surface expands when considering that healthcare systems often contain highly sensitive personal health information that falls under regulatory compliance requirements such as HIPAA, making unauthorized access a severe operational and legal risk.
Security mitigations for CVE-2022-2732 involve immediate deployment of the patched version 7.0.0.1 or later, which implements proper authorization controls and access validation mechanisms. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and review access logs for unauthorized activities. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be implemented to detect anomalous access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, implementing principle of least privilege access controls, regular security audits, and continuous monitoring of system access logs helps prevent unauthorized access and ensures compliance with healthcare regulatory requirements. The remediation process should include thorough testing of access control mechanisms to verify that proper authorization checks are functioning correctly and that no bypass paths remain available to unauthorized users. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication and enhanced logging capabilities to strengthen overall security posture against similar authorization-related vulnerabilities.