CVE-2023-48676 in Cyber Protect Cloud Agent
Summary
by MITRE • 12/14/2023
Sensitive information disclosure and manipulation due to missing authorization. The following products are affected: Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud Agent (Windows) before build 36943.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/10/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-48676 represents a critical authorization failure within the Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud Agent for Windows platforms. This issue manifests as a sensitive information disclosure and manipulation vulnerability that occurs due to the absence of proper access controls and authorization mechanisms. The affected product version, specifically builds prior to 36943, demonstrates a fundamental flaw in the application's security architecture that allows unauthorized entities to access protected data and potentially manipulate system resources. The vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of user permissions and access rights, creating a pathway for malicious actors to bypass intended security boundaries.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the absence of proper authentication checks within the agent's operational framework, which typically operates with elevated privileges on Windows systems. When the agent processes requests or accesses system resources, it fails to verify whether the requesting entity possesses the necessary authorization levels to perform specific operations. This authorization gap creates multiple attack vectors where sensitive data such as system configurations, user credentials, or backup information could be accessed without proper credentials. The flaw operates at the application layer and can be exploited through various means including local privilege escalation techniques or network-based attacks that target the agent's communication protocols.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to include potential system compromise and data manipulation capabilities. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can gain access to sensitive system information that may include backup configurations, encryption keys, or system credentials that could facilitate further attacks. The affected environment represents a high-value target for threat actors due to the agent's role in cybersecurity operations, potentially allowing attackers to undermine the very protection mechanisms that the software is designed to provide. This creates a particularly dangerous scenario where an attacker can compromise the security posture of systems that rely on the agent for protection.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patch deployment to versions 36943 and later, which contain the necessary authorization controls and access validation mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring of agent communications and system access patterns to detect potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should also review and enforce proper access control policies, ensuring that the principle of least privilege is maintained for all agent operations. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues, and may map to ATT&CK techniques such as privilege escalation and credential access. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their backup and recovery systems to identify other potential authorization gaps that could be exploited in similar fashion.