CVE-2023-22523 in Assets Discovery Cloud
Summary
by MITRE • 12/06/2023
This vulnerability, if exploited, allows an attacker to perform privileged RCE (Remote Code Execution) on machines with the Assets Discovery agent installed. The vulnerability exists between the Assets Discovery application (formerly known as Insight Discovery) and the Assets Discovery agent.
Assets Discovery, which can be downloaded via Atlassian Marketplace, is a network scanning tool that can be used with or without an agent with Jira Service Management Cloud, Data Center or Server. It detects hardware and software that is connected to your local network and extracts detailed information about each asset. This data can then be imported into Assets in Jira Service Management to help you manage all of the devices and configuration items within your local network.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/24/2023
CVE-2023-22523 represents a critical privilege escalation vulnerability within Atlassian's Assets Discovery agent ecosystem that enables remote code execution with elevated privileges. This vulnerability specifically affects the communication channel between the Assets Discovery application and its agent components, creating a pathway for attackers to bypass normal access controls and execute arbitrary code on target systems. The flaw exists in the agent's processing of data received from the Assets Discovery application, which operates under the assumption that communication between these components is trusted and secure. This trust relationship has been exploited to allow attackers to inject malicious payloads that are then executed with the privileges of the agent process, which typically runs with elevated system permissions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability leverages improper input validation and sanitization within the agent's data processing pipeline. When the Assets Discovery agent receives data from the application, it fails to properly validate the integrity and authenticity of the received information before processing it. This allows an attacker who has gained access to the Assets Discovery application to craft malicious payloads that, when processed by the agent, result in arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability falls under CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and specifically relates to CWE-78, which addresses OS command injection. The attack vector requires an attacker to already have access to the Assets Discovery application interface, but once achieved, the privilege escalation aspect means that the code execution occurs with the elevated privileges of the agent process.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-22523 extends beyond simple remote code execution to encompass complete system compromise and potential lateral movement within network environments. Since the Assets Discovery agent typically operates with elevated permissions to perform network scanning and asset enumeration tasks, successful exploitation provides attackers with a powerful foothold for further malicious activities. The vulnerability affects installations where the Assets Discovery agent is deployed, which are common in enterprise environments using Jira Service Management platforms. This allows attackers to gain access to detailed network asset information, potentially leading to further reconnaissance and exploitation of other systems within the network perimeter. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059, which covers command and scripting interpreter, and T1068, which addresses exploit for privilege escalation.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including restricting network access to the Assets Discovery application and agent components, ensuring proper network segmentation, and validating the integrity of communications between these components. The recommended approach involves applying the vendor-provided patches as soon as they become available, while also implementing network monitoring to detect unusual communication patterns between the Assets Discovery application and its agents. Additionally, organizations should consider disabling the Assets Discovery agent functionality if it is not actively required, and implement proper access controls to limit who can interact with the Assets Discovery application. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure communication protocols and input validation in distributed agent-based systems, particularly those that operate with elevated privileges. Security teams should also conduct thorough network audits to identify all instances of the Assets Discovery agent deployment and ensure proper patch management procedures are in place to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future.