CVE-2023-44152 in Cyber Protect
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
Sensitive information disclosure and manipulation due to improper authentication. The following products are affected: Acronis Cyber Protect 15 (Linux, macOS, Windows) before build 35979.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/10/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-44152 represents a critical security flaw in Acronis Cyber Protect 15 across multiple operating systems including Linux, macOS, and Windows platforms. This issue stems from improper authentication mechanisms that allow unauthorized access to sensitive system information and manipulation of critical functions. The affected versions prior to build 35979 demonstrate a fundamental weakness in the authentication process that could be exploited by malicious actors to gain elevated privileges and access confidential data.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the inadequate validation of user credentials and authentication tokens within the Acronis Cyber Protect 15 application. This flaw creates a path for attackers to bypass normal authentication procedures and access protected system resources without proper authorization. The improper authentication mechanism allows for credential manipulation and potentially leads to privilege escalation attacks. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues in software systems. The vulnerability creates opportunities for attackers to exploit weak authentication controls and gain unauthorized access to sensitive information within the protected environment.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-44152 extends beyond simple information disclosure to encompass potential system compromise and data manipulation capabilities. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could access backup configurations, system credentials, and other sensitive operational data that could be used for further attacks within the network. The affected environment represents a significant risk as Acronis Cyber Protect 15 is designed to secure and protect critical data assets, making any compromise of its authentication mechanisms particularly dangerous. This vulnerability could enable attackers to manipulate backup operations, potentially leading to data corruption or unauthorized access to backup repositories that contain sensitive organizational information.
The exploitation of this vulnerability follows patterns consistent with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers legitimate credentials use for unauthorized access. Attackers could leverage the improper authentication to establish persistent access to the system while remaining undetected. The vulnerability's impact is compounded by the fact that it affects multiple operating systems, increasing the potential attack surface and attack vectors available to threat actors. Organizations using affected versions of Acronis Cyber Protect 15 face significant risk of data breaches, regulatory compliance violations, and operational disruption. The vulnerability essentially undermines the security posture of organizations relying on this backup and recovery solution for their critical data protection needs.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-44152 require immediate action to upgrade to the patched build 35979 or later versions of Acronis Cyber Protect 15. Organizations should implement comprehensive authentication reviews and ensure that all systems are updated with the latest security patches. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual authentication patterns or unauthorized access attempts. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their backup and recovery environments to identify any potential exploitation attempts. The implementation of multi-factor authentication mechanisms and regular credential rotation policies can help reduce the risk of successful exploitation. Additionally, organizations should monitor for any suspicious activities related to backup operations and ensure that access controls are properly configured to limit administrative privileges to authorized personnel only.