CVE-2023-5042 in Cyber Protect Home Office
Summary
by MITRE • 09/20/2023
Sensitive information disclosure due to insecure folder permissions. The following products are affected: Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office (Windows) before build 40713, Acronis True Image OEM (Windows) before build 42575.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/10/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-5042 represents a critical sensitive information disclosure issue stemming from insecure folder permissions within specific Acronis backup software products. This weakness allows unauthorized access to potentially confidential data through improper file system access controls that fail to adequately restrict user permissions. The affected systems include Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office for Windows prior to build 40713 and Acronis True Image OEM for Windows prior to build 42575, indicating a targeted scope within the Acronis product ecosystem that requires immediate attention from system administrators and security teams.
The technical flaw manifests through inadequate permission settings on critical system folders where backup configurations, credential information, and potentially sensitive backup data may be stored. This insecure configuration creates an attack surface that adversaries can exploit to gain unauthorized access to system resources that should remain restricted to authorized personnel only. The vulnerability operates under the broader category of weak access control mechanisms that are classified as CWE-276, which specifically addresses improper file permissions and inadequate access control enforcement. This weakness directly enables privilege escalation scenarios where unauthorized users can access system resources beyond their intended access levels.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially compromise entire backup infrastructures and the integrity of backup data. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can access backup credentials, system configurations, and potentially sensitive data that has been archived within the backup environment. This creates a significant risk for organizations relying on these backup solutions for data protection, as the compromised backup systems may provide attackers with access to historical data and system configurations that could facilitate further attacks. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1074.001 which covers data staging through backup data access, potentially enabling adversaries to gather information for subsequent phases of an attack.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including verifying and correcting folder permissions on affected systems, ensuring that backup directories and configuration files have appropriate access controls, and conducting comprehensive audits of system permissions. System administrators should also review and update access control policies to prevent unauthorized access to backup data and configuration files. The recommended approach involves implementing principle of least privilege access controls, where only authorized personnel have access to sensitive backup system components. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing automated monitoring solutions that can detect and alert on unauthorized access attempts to backup system directories, providing early warning capabilities that align with ATT&CK technique T1068 which focuses on privilege escalation detection and prevention. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar permission-related weaknesses across the entire IT infrastructure.