CVE-2023-7249 in Directory Services
Summary
by MITRE • 08/12/2024
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in OpenText OpenText Directory Services allows Path Traversal.This issue affects OpenText Directory Services: from 16.4.2 before 24.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/13/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-7249 represents a critical path traversal flaw within OpenText Directory Services software, specifically impacting versions from 16.4.2 through prior to 24.1. This weakness falls under the well-documented CWE-22 category, which classifies improper limitation of pathname to restricted directories as a fundamental security vulnerability that enables attackers to access files and directories outside the intended scope. The flaw resides in how the system processes file paths during directory operations, allowing malicious actors to manipulate input parameters to navigate beyond designated access boundaries.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the OpenText Directory Services application fails to properly validate or sanitize user-supplied pathname data before processing it within the file system. Attackers can craft malicious inputs that contain directory traversal sequences such as "../" or similar constructs to bypass access controls and gain unauthorized access to sensitive system files, configuration data, or other restricted resources. This issue particularly affects the directory services component that handles user authentication and authorization requests, potentially allowing attackers to escalate privileges or extract confidential information from the underlying system.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-7249 extends beyond simple unauthorized file access, as it can enable attackers to perform broader system compromise activities. Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in relation to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and T1566 which encompasses spearphishing with a malicious attachment. The affected OpenText Directory Services environment could become a critical entry point for attackers seeking to establish persistent access or move laterally within a network. Organizations running affected versions face potential exposure to data breaches, system compromise, and regulatory compliance violations due to the unauthorized access capabilities this vulnerability provides.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to version 24.1 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes for this path traversal vulnerability. Network segmentation and access control measures should be implemented to limit exposure of directory services to untrusted networks, while monitoring systems should be configured to detect anomalous file access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, input validation controls should be strengthened throughout the application to prevent malformed path sequences from being processed, and regular security assessments should verify that all directory services components properly enforce access controls. Organizations should also implement principle of least privilege configurations and maintain comprehensive audit logs to track file system access attempts that could indicate exploitation of this vulnerability.