CVE-2023-50439 in ZED
Summary
by MITRE • 12/13/2023
ZED containers produced by PRIMX ZED! for Windows before Q.2020.3 (ANSSI qualification submission), ZED! for Windows before Q.2021.2 (ANSSI qualification submission), ZONECENTRAL for Windows before Q.2021.2 (ANSSI qualification submission), ZONECENTRAL for Windows before 2023.5, or ZEDMAIL for Windows before 2023.5 disclose the original path in which the containers were created, which allows an unauthenticated attacker to obtain some information regarding the context of use (project name, etc.).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/10/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-50439 represents a significant information disclosure issue affecting multiple software products from PRIMX and ZONECENTRAL that are utilized in security-critical environments. This flaw manifests in containerized applications that fail to properly sanitize or obscure the original file system paths used during container creation, thereby exposing sensitive metadata about the operational context in which these containers were developed. The affected products include ZED containers, ZED! for Windows, ZONECENTRAL for Windows, and ZEDMAIL for Windows across various release versions, indicating a widespread issue that spans multiple software iterations and security domains.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate path sanitization mechanisms within the container creation and deployment processes of these applications. When containers are built and subsequently deployed, the original working directories and file system paths used during development are inadvertently preserved and exposed within the container environment. This occurs because the containerization process fails to properly isolate or obfuscate the build environment metadata, creating a direct information leak that can be accessed by unauthorized parties. The vulnerability specifically affects systems that have not been updated beyond the specified release versions, suggesting that the issue was introduced early in the product lifecycle and persisted through multiple iterations without proper remediation.
From an operational perspective, this information disclosure vulnerability presents a substantial risk to organizations utilizing these products in security-sensitive contexts. The exposed path information can reveal project names, development environments, organizational structures, and potentially even intellectual property related to the containerized applications. Attackers who gain access to this information can leverage it for targeted attacks, reconnaissance, or social engineering campaigns that exploit the disclosed context. The fact that this vulnerability affects products qualified by ANSSI, France's national cybersecurity agency, indicates that it could compromise security posture in government and critical infrastructure environments where such products are deployed. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning given that it affects containerized applications, which are increasingly prevalent in modern security architectures and often contain sensitive operational data.
The weakness aligns with CWE-200, which describes "Information Exposure" as a category of vulnerabilities where information is disclosed to unauthorized actors, and potentially relates to CWE-359, which covers "Exposure of Private Information ('Privacy Leak')". From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1552.001, "Credentials in Files", and T1083, "File and Directory Discovery", as attackers could use the disclosed path information to identify sensitive files and directories within the container environment. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to the latest qualified versions of the affected products, implementing network segmentation to limit access to container environments, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of containerized applications to identify similar information disclosure vulnerabilities. Additionally, security teams should review container build processes to ensure proper path sanitization and environment isolation practices are implemented across all development and deployment pipelines.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure containerization practices and the potential consequences of inadequate information protection during software development and deployment phases. The exposure of build environment metadata represents a fundamental security gap that can significantly weaken overall security postures, particularly in environments where containerized applications handle sensitive data or support critical operations. Organizations must prioritize the remediation of such vulnerabilities through coordinated patch management programs and comprehensive security reviews of their containerized infrastructure to prevent exploitation by malicious actors seeking to gain unauthorized access to sensitive operational information.