CVE-2023-4589 in Secret Server
Summary
by MITRE • 09/06/2023
Insufficient verification of data authenticity vulnerability in Delinea Secret Server, in its v10.9.000002 version. An attacker with an administrator account could perform software updates without proper integrity verification mechanisms. In this scenario, the update process lacks digital signatures and fails to validate the integrity of the update package, allowing the attacker to inject malicious applications during the update.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/02/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-4589 represents a critical weakness in Delinea Secret Server version 10.9.000002 that fundamentally undermines the software's update security mechanisms. This flaw stems from insufficient verification of data authenticity, creating a pathway for privilege escalation and potential system compromise. The vulnerability specifically affects the update process where digital signature validation and integrity checks are either absent or improperly implemented, allowing malicious actors with administrative access to manipulate the software update procedure.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability manifests as a failure in the update validation framework that should enforce digital signatures and cryptographic integrity checks before executing any software modifications. The absence of proper verification mechanisms means that update packages can be modified or replaced with malicious content without detection. This weakness directly aligns with CWE-353, which addresses the lack of proper data integrity checks, and represents a significant deviation from secure software update practices. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of software supply chain security and access control, where administrative privileges are leveraged to bypass critical integrity verification steps.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it creates a persistent threat vector that could allow attackers to maintain long-term access to compromised systems. An attacker with administrator credentials could inject malicious code into the update process, potentially establishing backdoors, data exfiltration capabilities, or other malicious functionalities within the Secret Server environment. This threat is particularly concerning in security-critical environments where Secret Server is used to manage sensitive credentials and access controls, as it could enable attackers to compromise the very systems designed to protect organizational security.
The implications of this vulnerability align with several ATT&CK techniques including T1068 for locally executed commands, T1547 for persistence mechanisms, and T1078 for valid accounts usage. Organizations utilizing Delinea Secret Server v10.9.000002 face significant risk of supply chain compromise, where attackers could exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to sensitive credential repositories. The lack of update integrity verification creates a fundamental security gap that undermines the trust model of the software and potentially exposes all systems managed through the compromised Secret Server instance.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to the latest secure version of Delinea Secret Server where the update integrity verification has been properly implemented. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring of update activities and access logs to detect unauthorized update attempts. Network segmentation and principle of least privilege should be enforced to limit administrative access to update functions. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of implementing robust software integrity verification mechanisms, including digital signatures, checksum validation, and cryptographic verification, as outlined in industry standards such as NIST SP 800-145 and ISO/IEC 27031. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing automated security scanning and continuous monitoring to detect similar vulnerabilities in other software components within their infrastructure.