CVE-2023-4669 in SYSGuard 3001
Summary
by MITRE • 09/14/2023
Authentication Bypass by Assumed-Immutable Data vulnerability in Exagate SYSGuard 3001 allows Authentication Bypass.
This issue affects SYSGuard 3001: before 3.2.20.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/21/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-4669 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw within the Exagate SYSGuard 3001 security appliance, classified under the CWE-284 access control weakness category. This vulnerability stems from the system's reliance on assumed-immutable data for authentication decisions, creating a fundamental design flaw that undermines the integrity of the authentication mechanism. The affected version range indicates that all installations prior to 3.2.20.0 remain susceptible to exploitation, making this a widespread concern for organizations deploying this security solution. The root cause lies in the system's failure to properly validate or re-authenticate users when critical authentication parameters are manipulated or assumed to be immutable, allowing unauthorized access to protected resources.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through manipulation of data elements that the system treats as permanently unchangeable or trusted, which directly violates fundamental security principles outlined in the NIST SP 800-53 security controls. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting specific inputs or modifying system parameters that should remain constant during authentication processes, effectively circumventing the intended access controls. This type of vulnerability aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1078.004 - Valid Accounts: Cloud Accounts, where attackers bypass authentication by exploiting system assumptions about data immutability. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation and authentication design practices, where the system fails to implement proper checks for data integrity and consistency during the authentication flow.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it fundamentally compromises the security posture of any organization relying on SYSGuard 3001 for network protection. Successful exploitation could enable attackers to gain administrative privileges, access sensitive network resources, or perform lateral movement within the protected environment. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple versions suggests a systemic design flaw rather than a one-time coding error, making it particularly concerning for organizations with extended deployment cycles. Organizations may face significant regulatory and compliance implications, as this vulnerability could violate standards such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, and HIPAA requirements for proper access control mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-4669 primarily focus on immediate remediation through the installation of the patched version 3.2.20.0 or later, which addresses the authentication bypass by implementing proper validation of all authentication parameters regardless of their assumed immutability. Security teams should also implement additional monitoring controls to detect anomalous authentication patterns or parameter modifications that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following the principle of least privilege and implementing multi-factor authentication mechanisms as compensating controls. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their Exagate SYSGuard 3001 deployments to identify any potential exploitation and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing authentication bypass scenarios. Network segmentation and access control reviews should be performed to minimize the potential blast radius of any successful exploitation attempts.