CVE-2023-41745 in Acronis
Summary
by MITRE • 08/31/2023
Sensitive information disclosure due to excessive collection of system information. The following products are affected: Acronis Agent (Linux, macOS, Windows) before build 30991, Acronis Cyber Protect 15 (Linux, macOS, Windows) before build 35979.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/29/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-41745 represents a critical sensitive information disclosure issue within Acronis backup and recovery software across multiple operating systems. This flaw stems from an excessive collection of system information during backup operations, where the software gathers more data than necessary for legitimate backup purposes. The vulnerability affects Acronis Agent versions prior to build 30991 and Acronis Cyber Protect 15 versions prior to build 35979 across Linux, macOS, and Windows platforms, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on these backup solutions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through improper data handling mechanisms within the backup agent software. When performing backup operations, the system collects system information including but not limited to network configurations, installed software details, system identifiers, and potentially user-related metadata. This excessive data collection occurs without adequate filtering or sanitization processes, resulting in sensitive information being captured and potentially stored in backup repositories. The flaw aligns with CWE-200, which addresses "Information Exposure" and represents a classic case of information leakage through improper data collection practices. The vulnerability essentially creates an information repository that contains more than just the required backup data, exposing system internals that could aid attackers in reconnaissance activities.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents substantial risks to organizations utilizing Acronis backup solutions. The leaked system information could include detailed network topology data, system configurations, software versions, and potentially user account details that would significantly aid adversaries in planning targeted attacks. Attackers could leverage this information to identify system vulnerabilities, map network structures, and develop more sophisticated attack vectors against the organization's infrastructure. The impact extends beyond immediate data exposure as the collected information could be used for lateral movement within networks, privilege escalation attempts, or social engineering campaigns. This vulnerability directly relates to ATT&CK technique T1082, which covers "System Information Discovery," and T1566, which addresses "Phishing," as the leaked information could facilitate more effective social engineering attacks. Organizations may face compliance violations under various regulatory frameworks including GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS if sensitive data is improperly exposed through this vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-41745 should prioritize immediate software updates to the patched versions of Acronis Agent and Cyber Protect 15. Organizations must conduct thorough inventory checks to identify all affected systems and ensure proper patch management procedures are implemented across their environments. Additionally, implementing network monitoring and anomaly detection systems can help identify unusual data collection patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should review and restrict backup data access permissions to minimize potential damage from information disclosure. Organizations should also consider implementing data loss prevention controls that monitor for sensitive information being stored in backup repositories. Regular security assessments of backup and recovery solutions should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other third-party software components. The remediation process must include comprehensive testing of patched versions to ensure that the fix properly addresses the excessive data collection behavior without introducing new operational issues. System administrators should also establish monitoring procedures to detect any unauthorized access attempts to backup repositories that might exploit the information leakage vulnerability.