CVE-2023-1968 in Universal Copy Service
Summary
by MITRE • 04/28/2023
Instruments with Illumina Universal Copy Service v2.x are vulnerable due to binding to an unrestricted IP address. An unauthenticated malicious actor could use UCS to listen on all IP addresses, including those capable of accepting remote communications.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/24/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-1968 affects Illumina Universal Copy Service version 2.x installations, representing a critical network security flaw that stems from improper service configuration. This issue arises when the UCS service binds to an unrestricted IP address rather than a specific local interface, creating an attack vector that allows unauthorized actors to establish connections across all available network interfaces. The flaw fundamentally compromises the service's ability to control network access, as it fails to implement proper network segmentation and access control measures that should normally restrict service exposure to trusted networks only.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability lies in the service's default configuration where it listens on all available network interfaces without proper restriction to localhost or specific trusted addresses. This misconfiguration creates a scenario where remote attackers can exploit the service by establishing connections to the listening ports regardless of network topology or security boundaries. The service's inability to properly validate connection sources or implement network access controls means that any system with network connectivity to the affected device can potentially interact with the UCS service, even if they lack legitimate authorization. This behavior directly violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and network segmentation that are essential for protecting critical infrastructure components.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations utilizing Illumina sequencing platforms, as it allows unauthorized remote access to potentially sensitive genomic data processing services. Attackers could leverage this weakness to gain access to sequencing workflows, potentially intercepting or manipulating data transfers, accessing system configurations, or even executing unauthorized operations within the sequencing environment. The vulnerability's unauthenticated nature means that no credentials or prior access are required to exploit the service, making it particularly dangerous for environments where physical security may be limited or where network isolation is not properly implemented. This exposure could lead to data integrity compromises, unauthorized access to research data, or potential disruption of critical sequencing operations that form the backbone of genomic research and clinical diagnostics.
Organizations should immediately implement network-level mitigations including firewall rules that restrict access to the UCS service ports to only trusted network segments and IP addresses. The service configuration should be updated to bind only to specific local interfaces rather than all available network interfaces, effectively limiting exposure to local network connections only. Network segmentation measures should be enforced to ensure that sequencing systems are isolated from general network access, implementing proper VLAN configurations or network access controls. Additionally, regular network scanning and monitoring should be implemented to detect any unauthorized access attempts or unexpected network connections to the affected service ports. System administrators should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can monitor for unusual network activity patterns associated with the UCS service, providing early warning capabilities for potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference) and maps to ATT&CK technique T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) when considering the potential for DNS-based reconnaissance or data exfiltration through the compromised service.