CVE-2023-47716 in Filenet Content Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 03/01/2024
IBM CP4BA - Filenet Content Manager Component 5.5.8.0, 5.5.10.0, and 5.5.11.0 could allow a user to gain the privileges of another user under unusual circumstances. IBM X-Force ID: 271656.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/16/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-47716 affects IBM Content Platform 4 Business Automation (CP4BA) Filenet Content Manager Component versions 5.5.8.0, 5.5.10.0, and 5.5.11.0. This issue represents a privilege escalation vulnerability that enables an authenticated user to potentially assume the privileges of another user within the system. The vulnerability stems from improper access control mechanisms within the component's authentication and authorization framework, creating a scenario where user session management or token handling may be manipulated to gain elevated privileges. Such a flaw is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where content management systems handle sensitive data and require strict access controls to maintain information security boundaries.
The technical flaw manifests through weaknesses in the component's user privilege management system, likely involving session tokens, access control lists, or role-based access control mechanisms. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could potentially leverage the misconfiguration to escalate their privileges from standard user level to administrative or elevated user permissions. The unusual circumstances mentioned in the description suggest that the exploitation requires specific conditions or sequences that may not be immediately obvious to casual attackers, but once achieved, could provide significant access to system resources and data. This type of vulnerability typically falls under CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization in software components, and may also relate to CWE-798, indicating potential hard-coded credentials or weak session management practices.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it could enable unauthorized users to access sensitive content, modify critical system configurations, or perform administrative functions within the IBM CP4BA environment. Organizations using these specific versions of the Filenet Content Manager Component face potential data breaches, unauthorized access to confidential information, and possible system compromise that could affect the integrity and availability of their content management infrastructure. The vulnerability particularly impacts enterprise environments where document management, workflow automation, and content governance are critical business functions, making the potential exploitation particularly damaging to business continuity and information security.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-47716 should include immediate patching of affected IBM CP4BA versions to the latest security updates provided by IBM. Organizations should also implement enhanced monitoring of user authentication and authorization events, particularly around privilege escalation activities. Network segmentation and least privilege access controls should be reviewed and strengthened to limit potential lateral movement if exploitation occurs. Security teams should conduct thorough access control reviews and implement additional logging mechanisms to detect anomalous user behavior patterns. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining current security patches and following IBM's security advisories, as this issue relates to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation through legitimate system access. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as multi-factor authentication for privileged accounts and regular security assessments of their content management systems to identify and remediate similar access control vulnerabilities.