CVE-2022-35784 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-2022-35783, 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 privileges within the Azure environment. This vulnerability specifically affects the recovery services vaults and their associated replication mechanisms, creating a pathway for unauthorized users to gain higher-level access than initially granted. The flaw exists in the permission validation and access control implementation within the Azure Site Recovery component, enabling malicious actors to bypass standard authorization checks. Security researchers identified that the vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user permissions during specific administrative operations within the recovery services infrastructure. This issue represents a significant concern for organizations relying on Azure Site Recovery for disaster recovery and backup operations, as it could potentially allow attackers to gain access to sensitive data and system resources that should remain restricted to authorized personnel only.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a flaw in the Azure Site Recovery service's privilege validation mechanisms during resource access operations. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting specific requests that manipulate the authorization flow, effectively allowing them to perform administrative actions without proper credentials or elevated permissions. The vulnerability manifests when the system fails to properly validate the identity and authorization level of users attempting to access protected resources within the recovery services vault. This flaw operates at the application layer of the Azure platform, specifically targeting the service's internal access control enforcement. The issue is particularly concerning because Azure Site Recovery is commonly used for protecting critical business data, making unauthorized access to these systems potentially catastrophic for organizations. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues, which encompasses improper access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized users to gain elevated privileges. The attack pattern follows typical privilege escalation methodologies as outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1068 Privilege Escalation, where adversaries leverage weaknesses in system access controls to increase their access level.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it could enable attackers to manipulate backup and recovery operations, potentially leading to data corruption, data loss, or complete system compromise. Organizations utilizing Azure Site Recovery for critical infrastructure protection face significant risk exposure, as attackers could use this vulnerability to gain access to backup data that might contain sensitive information or system configurations. The vulnerability's exploitation could result in unauthorized modification of recovery policies, deletion of critical backup data, or even complete takeover of the recovery services environment. This type of access control failure could also enable attackers to move laterally within the Azure environment, as the elevated privileges gained through this vulnerability could provide access to other interconnected services and resources. The potential for data exfiltration increases substantially when attackers can access backup systems, as these often contain comprehensive snapshots of organizational data. Organizations may also face regulatory compliance issues if this vulnerability allows unauthorized access to sensitive data that should remain protected under various data protection regulations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action from Azure administrators and security teams. Microsoft has released patches and updates to address this specific vulnerability, and organizations should prioritize applying these security updates to all affected Azure Site Recovery services. Temporary workarounds include implementing additional network-level access controls, monitoring for unusual access patterns, and restricting direct network access to recovery services vaults. Organizations should also review and tighten their Azure role-based access control policies, ensuring that only necessary personnel have access to recovery services operations. The implementation of Azure Monitor and Azure Security Center can help detect anomalous access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive audits of their Azure Site Recovery configurations to identify any misconfigurations that could compound the vulnerability's impact. Regular penetration testing and vulnerability assessments should be performed to identify similar access control weaknesses in other Azure services. Organizations should also implement multi-factor authentication for all administrative accounts and consider implementing just-in-time access controls for recovery services to minimize the window of opportunity for exploitation. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-284 emphasizes the need for robust access control design principles and proper implementation of least privilege access models. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing Azure Policy rules to enforce secure configuration of recovery services and ensure compliance with security best practices across their Azure environments.