CVE-2023-2978 in Pydio Cells
Summary
by MITRE • 05/30/2023
A vulnerability was found in Abstrium Pydio Cells 4.2.0. It has been rated as problematic. Affected by this issue is some unknown functionality of the component Change Subscription Handler. The manipulation leads to authorization bypass. Upgrading to version 4.2.1 is able to address this issue. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. VDB-230210 is the identifier assigned to this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/24/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-2978 represents a critical authorization bypass flaw within Abstrium Pydio Cells 4.2.0, specifically impacting the Change Subscription Handler component. This issue falls under the category of privilege escalation vulnerabilities where unauthorized users can potentially bypass normal access controls to gain elevated privileges or access restricted functionality. The vulnerability stems from inadequate validation mechanisms within the subscription handling logic, allowing malicious actors to manipulate the system's authorization flow without proper authentication or authorization.
The technical implementation of this flaw occurs within the Change Subscription Handler module, which is responsible for managing user subscription changes and access permissions within the Pydio Cells platform. When users interact with subscription modification functions, the system fails to properly validate whether the requesting entity has legitimate authorization to perform such operations. This weakness creates a pathway for attackers to exploit the subscription management interface and potentially gain access to features or data that should be restricted to authorized users only.
From an operational impact perspective, this authorization bypass vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on Pydio Cells for document management and collaboration services. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to access sensitive files, modify user permissions, or escalate their privileges within the system. The potential for data breaches increases substantially as unauthorized users might gain access to confidential information that should be protected by subscription-based access controls. This vulnerability particularly affects environments where subscription tiers determine access levels to different features or data sets.
The recommended remediation strategy involves upgrading the affected Pydio Cells installation to version 4.2.1, which contains the necessary patches to address the authorization bypass flaw. This upgrade process should be implemented systematically across all affected systems to ensure complete protection. Organizations should also conduct thorough testing of the updated environment to verify that the patch resolves the vulnerability without introducing compatibility issues with existing workflows or integrations. Security teams should monitor for any signs of exploitation attempts before and after the upgrade process.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and reflects patterns commonly seen in access control bypass scenarios. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the T1078 credential access sub-technique where attackers leverage system weaknesses to obtain elevated privileges. Organizations should implement additional monitoring measures to detect anomalous subscription change activities that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on unauthorized subscription modifications or access pattern anomalies that could signal successful exploitation of this authorization bypass vulnerability.