CVE-2022-45140 in Compact Controller CC100
Summary
by MITRE • 02/27/2023
The configuration backend allows an unauthenticated user to write arbitrary data with root privileges to the storage, which could lead to unauthenticated remote code execution and full system compromise.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/25/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-45140 represents a critical authorization flaw within a system's configuration backend that fundamentally undermines the security model of the affected software. This weakness allows an attacker to bypass authentication mechanisms entirely and gain root-level privileges during data storage operations, creating a pathway for complete system compromise without requiring any valid credentials or access rights. The flaw exists in the backend configuration management component, which should typically enforce strict access controls and privilege separation but instead permits unrestricted write operations from any unauthenticated entity.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper access control implementation within the storage subsystem where the configuration backend fails to validate user credentials or authorization levels before permitting data modification operations. This represents a classic case of insufficient authorization checks that aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization in software systems. The vulnerability operates at a fundamental level where the system assumes all incoming requests are legitimate and authorized, creating a dangerous trust model that allows any external entity to perform privileged operations. The backend component likely processes configuration data without verifying the identity or privileges of the requesting entity, effectively creating a writeable storage interface that operates outside normal security boundaries.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables attackers to achieve unauthenticated remote code execution, which constitutes one of the most severe threat scenarios in cybersecurity. An adversary can leverage this weakness to inject malicious code directly into the system's storage, potentially modifying critical system files, configuration parameters, or executable components. The full system compromise capability arises because the attacker gains root privileges during data storage operations, allowing them to manipulate the entire system infrastructure without detection. This vulnerability essentially provides a backdoor that bypasses all normal authentication and authorization mechanisms, making it particularly dangerous for systems where configuration management is critical to overall security posture.
The attack surface for this vulnerability extends across all network interfaces that expose the configuration backend to external access, making it particularly concerning for systems with public-facing services or exposed management interfaces. Attackers can exploit this weakness remotely without requiring any prior access credentials, which significantly reduces the attack complexity and increases the likelihood of successful exploitation. The vulnerability's impact is amplified when considering that configuration data often contains sensitive system parameters, user credentials, or system settings that when modified can lead to complete system takeover. This flaw can be exploited to establish persistent access, modify system behavior, or create additional attack vectors within the compromised environment.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-45140 must address the core authorization failure by implementing robust access control mechanisms that enforce proper authentication and privilege validation before any storage operations are permitted. Organizations should immediately implement network segmentation to restrict access to configuration backend services, deploy strong authentication mechanisms, and ensure that all storage operations require proper authorization verification. The implementation of principle of least privilege should be enforced, ensuring that even if an attacker gains access to the system, they cannot perform privileged operations without valid credentials. Additionally, regular security audits should be conducted to verify that configuration backend components properly enforce access controls and that no unauthorized write operations can occur without proper authentication. This vulnerability highlights the importance of defense in depth strategies and proper input validation, as it demonstrates how a single authorization failure can lead to complete system compromise, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers exploit for privilege escalation and T1566 which addresses credential harvesting through exploitation.