CVE-2023-25543 in Power Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 02/06/2024
Dell Power Manager, versions prior to 3.14, contain an Improper Authorization vulnerability in DPM service. A low privileged malicious user could potentially exploit this vulnerability in order to elevate privileges on the system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/06/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-25543 affects Dell Power Manager software versions prior to 3.14, representing a critical improper authorization flaw within the DPM service component. This vulnerability resides in the privilege management mechanisms of the Dell Power Manager application, which is designed to control and optimize power consumption settings across Dell enterprise and consumer devices. The flaw allows an attacker with low privileged access to potentially escalate their privileges and gain elevated system permissions, fundamentally undermining the security model of the affected system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate authorization checks within the DPM service, which fails to properly validate user permissions before executing privileged operations. This weakness creates an opportunity for privilege escalation attacks where malicious actors can exploit the service's insufficient access controls to execute commands with higher privileges than initially granted. The vulnerability manifests when the service processes requests that should require administrative permissions but fails to verify that the requesting user possesses the necessary authorization levels. This improper authorization mechanism aligns with CWE-285, which specifically addresses improper authorization scenarios in software systems, and represents a classic example of insufficient access control validation in service-oriented applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with potential access to critical system functions that could enable further exploitation or data compromise. A malicious user who successfully exploits this vulnerability could potentially access system configuration settings, modify power management policies, or gain access to sensitive system information that would normally be restricted to administrators. This capability could be particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Dell Power Manager is deployed across multiple devices, as it could enable attackers to establish persistent access or disrupt critical power management operations. The vulnerability's presence in Dell Power Manager also raises concerns about the broader attack surface of enterprise device management software, particularly when such services operate with elevated privileges and lack proper access validation mechanisms.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation of this vulnerability by upgrading to Dell Power Manager version 3.14 or later, which includes the necessary authorization controls to prevent unauthorized privilege escalation. System administrators should conduct comprehensive assessments of their Dell Power Manager installations to identify any systems running vulnerable versions and implement appropriate network segmentation to limit access to the service. The vulnerability's classification as improper authorization aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers legitimate credentials and valid accounts, as attackers could potentially use this flaw to obtain elevated access through legitimate system interfaces. Additionally, organizations should review their access control policies and implement monitoring for unusual privilege escalation attempts that might indicate exploitation of this vulnerability. The remediation process should include verification that the updated service properly enforces authorization checks and that no lingering access control weaknesses remain in the system configuration.