CVE-2023-1699 in Nexpose
Summary
by MITRE • 03/30/2023
Rapid7 Nexpose versions 6.6.186 and below suffer from a forced browsing vulnerability. This vulnerability allows an attacker to manipulate URLs to forcefully browse to and access administrative pages. This vulnerability is fixed in version 6.6.187.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/20/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-1699 affects Rapid7 Nexpose versions 6.6.186 and earlier, representing a critical forced browsing weakness that undermines the application's access control mechanisms. This flaw resides in the web application's authentication and authorization framework, where proper validation of user permissions is bypassed during URL parameter manipulation. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and insufficient session management controls that fail to properly verify whether an authenticated user possesses the necessary privileges to access specific administrative endpoints. Attackers can exploit this weakness by directly manipulating URL parameters to gain unauthorized access to administrative pages without proper authentication or authorization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses insufficient authorization issues in web applications. The flaw operates by allowing attackers to construct malicious URLs that directly reference administrative resources within the Nexpose application, bypassing the normal authentication flow that should validate user credentials and privilege levels. This type of vulnerability falls under the ATT&CK technique T1213.002, specifically focusing on data from network shared drives, as it enables unauthorized access to administrative functions that could contain sensitive configuration data and system information. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal technical skill and can be accomplished through simple URL manipulation techniques, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrative access is not properly restricted.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-1699 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as administrative pages typically contain sensitive system configurations, user management controls, and security settings that could be leveraged for further attacks. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could potentially modify system configurations, add or remove users, access sensitive data, or manipulate security policies within the Nexpose environment. This access could facilitate more sophisticated attacks including privilege escalation, lateral movement within the network, or the establishment of persistent access points. The vulnerability also poses risks to compliance and audit requirements, as unauthorized access to administrative functions could compromise the integrity of security monitoring and reporting capabilities. Organizations using vulnerable versions of Nexpose face potential regulatory violations and increased security risk exposure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-1699 require immediate deployment of Rapid7's patched version 6.6.187, which addresses the forced browsing vulnerability through enhanced access control validation mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of administrative interfaces to trusted networks only, reducing the attack surface available to potential adversaries. Additional defensive measures include implementing web application firewalls with custom rules to detect and block suspicious URL parameter manipulation attempts, enforcing strict authentication and session management policies, and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar access control vulnerabilities. Security teams should also establish monitoring procedures to detect unauthorized access attempts to administrative resources and implement automated patch management processes to ensure timely deployment of security updates across all affected systems. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper access control implementation and the necessity of regular security testing to identify and remediate authorization weaknesses in enterprise security tools.