CVE-2023-39253 in OS Recovery Tool
Summary
by MITRE • 11/23/2023
Dell OS Recovery Tool, versions 2.2.4013, 2.3.7012.0, and 2.3.7515.0 contain an Improper Access Control Vulnerability. A local authenticated non-administrator user could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to the elevation of privilege on the system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/16/2023
The Dell OS Recovery Tool vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-39253 represents a critical improper access control flaw that undermines the security posture of affected systems. This vulnerability specifically affects versions 2.2.4013, 2.3.7012.0, and 2.3.7515.0 of the Dell OS Recovery Tool, which are widely deployed across enterprise and consumer environments for system recovery operations. The flaw stems from inadequate privilege validation mechanisms within the tool's authentication framework, creating an exploitable condition where legitimate users can bypass normal access restrictions. According to CWE-284, this vulnerability maps directly to improper access control issues where the system fails to properly enforce authorization checks, allowing unauthorized privilege escalation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a local authenticated attack vector where non-administrator users can leverage the flawed access control mechanisms to elevate their privileges. The recovery tool's design appears to improperly validate user permissions during critical system operations, enabling malicious actors to manipulate the tool's execution flow. This weakness allows attackers to execute privileged functions that should only be available to administrators, effectively compromising the system's integrity. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it can potentially enable full system compromise when combined with other attack vectors. The flaw operates at the operating system level where standard user accounts can gain administrative privileges through manipulation of the recovery tool's internal processes.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to enterprise environments where Dell OS Recovery Tool is deployed across multiple systems. Organizations utilizing these specific versions face potential unauthorized access to critical system functions, including the ability to modify system configurations, access restricted files, and potentially install malicious software. The local nature of the attack means that exploitation requires physical access or initial compromise of a standard user account, but once successful, the attacker can achieve persistent administrative control. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers local privilege escalation and T1547 which addresses boot or logon initialization scripts, as the recovery tool may be invoked during system startup processes. The impact is particularly severe in environments where system recovery tools are frequently used, as the attack surface for exploitation increases with tool usage frequency.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-39253 should prioritize immediate patch deployment from Dell, as this represents a critical security flaw requiring urgent attention. Organizations must ensure that all affected systems are updated to patched versions of the Dell OS Recovery Tool to eliminate the improper access control vulnerability. Additionally, system administrators should implement monitoring of recovery tool execution to detect anomalous privilege escalation attempts. The implementation of principle of least privilege should be reinforced across all user accounts, ensuring that standard users cannot inadvertently gain elevated privileges through the recovery tool. Network segmentation and access controls should be reviewed to limit the impact of potential exploitation. Security teams should also consider implementing endpoint detection and response solutions to monitor for suspicious activity related to the recovery tool and privilege escalation attempts. Regular vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify other potential access control weaknesses within the Dell recovery tool ecosystem and related system components.