CVE-2023-40057 in Access Rights Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 02/15/2024
The SolarWinds Access Rights Manager was found to be susceptible to a Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. If exploited, this vulnerability allows an authenticated user to abuse a SolarWinds service resulting in remote code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/08/2024
The SolarWinds Access Rights Manager vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-40057 represents a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of enterprise access control systems. This vulnerability resides within the SolarWinds Access Rights Manager product, which is designed to provide centralized access management and privilege control for organizations. The flaw specifically affects the service layer of the application, creating a pathway for authenticated attackers to escalate their privileges and execute arbitrary code on the affected system. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it enables full system compromise when exploited by malicious actors who have already gained authentication credentials.
This remote code execution vulnerability stems from improper input validation and insufficient access controls within the SolarWinds service architecture. The flaw allows an authenticated user to manipulate service parameters or API endpoints in ways that were not intended by the developers. When exploited, the vulnerability enables attackers to inject and execute malicious code on the target system, effectively bypassing the normal security boundaries that should protect the access management infrastructure. The technical implementation likely involves insufficient sanitization of user inputs or inadequate authorization checks that permit authenticated users to perform operations beyond their intended scope. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-749, which describes the exposure of a function with dangerous side effects, and represents a significant deviation from secure coding practices that should prevent authenticated users from executing arbitrary commands.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-40057 is severe and multifaceted for organizations relying on SolarWinds Access Rights Manager. Once exploited, the vulnerability provides attackers with complete control over the access management system, potentially enabling them to modify user permissions, grant themselves administrative privileges, or even create backdoor accounts. This compromise directly undermines the core security functions of the system, as the attacker can manipulate who has access to what resources within the organization's network. The vulnerability's authenticated nature means that it requires an existing user account to exploit, but this requirement is often easily achieved through credential theft, social engineering, or other initial compromise techniques. Organizations that have not yet patched this vulnerability face significant risk of lateral movement and persistent access within their networks, as the compromised access rights manager could serve as a central point of attack for broader system infiltration.
Organizations must implement immediate remediation measures to address this vulnerability, including applying the official patches provided by SolarWinds and conducting comprehensive security assessments of their access management infrastructure. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous behavior in access management services, particularly around privilege changes or unusual API calls. The vulnerability's characteristics align with ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers valid accounts with compromised credentials, and T1566.001, covering spearphishing via email, as these are common initial compromise vectors. Security teams should also consider implementing additional access controls such as just-in-time provisioning, multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts, and regular security audits of access management systems to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in the future.