CVE-2023-32265 in Micro Focus
Summary
by MITRE • 07/20/2023
A potential security vulnerability has been identified in the Enterprise Server Common Web Administration (ESCWA) component used in Enterprise Server, Enterprise Test Server, Enterprise Developer, Visual COBOL, and COBOL Server. An attacker would need to be authenticated into ESCWA to attempt to exploit this vulnerability. As described in the hardening guide in the product documentation, other mitigations including restricting network access to ESCWA and restricting users’ permissions in the Micro Focus Directory Server also reduce the exposure to this issue. Given the right conditions this vulnerability could be exploited to expose a service account password. The account corresponding to the exposed credentials usually has limited privileges and, in many cases would only be useful for extracting details of other user accounts and similar information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/15/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-32265 resides within the Enterprise Server Common Web Administration (ESCWA) component of several Micro Focus products including Enterprise Server, Enterprise Test Server, Enterprise Developer, Visual COBOL, and COBOL Server. This represents a privilege escalation and credential exposure vulnerability that requires an authenticated attacker to exploit, making it a targeted issue rather than a widespread remote exploit. The ESCWA component serves as a web-based administrative interface that allows users to manage and configure enterprise COBOL applications, making it a critical administrative component that requires careful security consideration.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper handling of authentication and authorization within the ESCWA interface, where authenticated users can potentially extract service account passwords through flawed credential management processes. This vulnerability specifically affects the way the system manages and exposes credentials when certain administrative operations are performed, creating an avenue for credential harvesting that could lead to further unauthorized access within the enterprise environment. The vulnerability operates under CWE-287 which categorizes improper authentication issues, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1552.001 for credentials from password files, demonstrating the potential for credential compromise and lateral movement.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential exposure as it could enable attackers to extract information about other user accounts and system configurations. While the exposed service account typically possesses limited privileges, the extracted credentials could serve as a foothold for further reconnaissance and potentially enable attackers to map user permissions, identify additional system components, and plan more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability's exploitation requires an initial authentication foothold, which means that network-level protections and user permission controls become critical defense mechanisms. Organizations using these Micro Focus products face potential risks including unauthorized access to administrative functions, data extraction, and potential privilege escalation within their COBOL-based enterprise applications.
The recommended mitigations for CVE-2023-32265 align with standard security hardening practices and include restricting network access to the ESCWA component through firewalls and network segmentation to limit exposure to only trusted administrative networks. Additionally, implementing strict user permission controls within the Micro Focus Directory Server helps reduce the attack surface by ensuring that only authorized personnel can access the administrative interface. These controls directly address the vulnerability's requirement for authenticated access and help implement the principle of least privilege. The hardening guide recommendations emphasize network-level controls and directory server permissions as primary defense mechanisms, which aligns with ATT&CK tactics focused on privilege escalation and defense evasion. Organizations should also implement regular credential rotation policies and monitor access logs for suspicious activities related to administrative functions. The vulnerability's nature suggests that attackers would need to have already established a presence within the administrative network, making network monitoring and access controls essential defensive measures.