CVE-2022-35783 in Azure Site Recovery VMWare to Azure
Summary
by MITRE • 08/10/2022
Azure Site Recovery Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2022-35774, CVE-2022-35775, CVE-2022-35780, CVE-2022-35781, CVE-2022-35782, CVE-2022-35784, CVE-2022-35785, CVE-2022-35786, CVE-2022-35787, CVE-2022-35788, CVE-2022-35789, CVE-2022-35790, CVE-2022-35791, CVE-2022-35799, CVE-2022-35800, CVE-2022-35801, CVE-2022-35802, CVE-2022-35807, CVE-2022-35808, CVE-2022-35809, CVE-2022-35810, CVE-2022-35811, CVE-2022-35812, CVE-2022-35813, CVE-2022-35814, CVE-2022-35815, CVE-2022-35816, CVE-2022-35817, CVE-2022-35818, CVE-2022-35819.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/03/2022
The Azure Site Recovery service presents a critical elevation of privilege vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers to escalate their access rights within the system. This vulnerability specifically affects the Azure Site Recovery component used for disaster recovery and replication services, where an attacker with minimal privileges could potentially gain administrative access to the recovery services. The flaw stems from improper access control mechanisms within the service's authentication and authorization framework, creating a pathway for privilege escalation that bypasses normal security boundaries. This issue represents a significant concern for organizations relying on Azure Site Recovery for their disaster recovery operations, as it could enable malicious actors to compromise entire recovery environments.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a weakness in the service's permission validation logic where certain administrative operations can be invoked by users with insufficient privileges. The flaw typically manifests when the system fails to properly validate user credentials or role memberships before granting access to sensitive administrative functions. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-284 access control weakness category, specifically addressing improper access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized privilege escalation. The vulnerability exists in the service's API endpoints or administrative interfaces where authentication tokens or session management does not adequately enforce privilege boundaries.
Operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, potentially allowing attackers to access sensitive data, modify recovery configurations, or even disrupt disaster recovery operations. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to gain full administrative control over Azure Site Recovery services, enabling them to manipulate replication settings, access backed-up data, or compromise the integrity of recovery operations. The potential for data exfiltration or service disruption makes this particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where recovery services are critical for business continuity. Organizations may face regulatory compliance issues if recovery systems are compromised, as these services often contain sensitive operational data that requires protection under various security frameworks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate application of Microsoft security patches and updates to Azure Site Recovery services. Administrators should implement the principle of least privilege by ensuring that users only have the minimum required permissions for their operational needs. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unauthorized access attempts or privilege escalation activities. The implementation of multi-factor authentication and regular security audits of recovery service configurations can help reduce the attack surface. Organizations should also consider implementing Azure Security Center monitoring and alerting mechanisms to detect anomalous behavior patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify and remediate similar access control weaknesses in the broader Azure environment. This vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including privilege escalation and defense evasion, making comprehensive security monitoring essential for detection and response.