CVE-2023-29056 in XClarity Controller
Summary
by MITRE • 04/29/2023
A valid LDAP user, under specific conditions, will default to read-only permissions when authenticating into XCC. To be vulnerable, XCC must be configured to use an LDAP server for Authentication/Authorization and have the login permission attribute not defined.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/24/2023
The vulnerability described in CVE-2023-29056 represents a critical authorization flaw within XCC systems that leverage LDAP for user authentication and permission management. This issue manifests when a legitimate LDAP user attempts to authenticate into the XCC environment under specific configuration conditions, resulting in automatic assignment of read-only permissions regardless of the user's actual role or intended access level. The flaw directly impacts the principle of least privilege and can significantly compromise the security posture of organizations relying on XCC for critical operations.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of LDAP attribute mapping during the authentication process. When XCC is configured to utilize LDAP for authentication and authorization purposes, the system relies on specific attributes to determine user permissions and access rights. The vulnerability occurs specifically when the login permission attribute is not explicitly defined within the LDAP configuration. This missing attribute definition causes the system to default to a read-only permission model as a fallback mechanism, effectively stripping legitimate users of their appropriate access levels.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant security risk by potentially limiting authorized users to read-only access when they should have broader permissions to perform their duties. The affected environment becomes vulnerable to operational disruptions where users cannot perform necessary administrative tasks, while simultaneously creating a potential attack vector for malicious actors who might exploit the reduced permissions to escalate privileges or conduct lateral movement within the system. The issue affects the availability and integrity of system operations by preventing legitimate users from accessing required functionality.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control and CWE-798 which covers the use of hard-coded credentials or configuration settings. This flaw also maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.002 which involves valid accounts and T1068 which covers local privilege escalation. Organizations using XCC with LDAP authentication should immediately review their configuration settings to ensure that all required permission attributes are properly defined and mapped. The recommended mitigation involves explicitly configuring the login permission attribute within the LDAP integration settings and implementing proper access control policies that prevent automatic permission downgrading. Additionally, regular security audits should verify that LDAP configurations maintain proper attribute mappings and that no default fallback behaviors are inadvertently enabled that could lead to reduced access privileges for authenticated users.