CVE-2024-23565 in Aftermarket EPC
Summary
by MITRE • 07/17/2026
HCL Aftermarket EPC is vulnerable to email flooding as the application does not have a proper mail limitation mechanism at Forget Password functionality. The actor could b e a human or an automated process such as a virus or bot. This could be used to cause a denial of service, compromise program logic or other consequences.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/17/2026
The vulnerability identified in HCL Aftermarket EPC's forget password functionality represents a critical security flaw that enables email flooding attacks through the absence of proper rate limiting mechanisms. This weakness falls under the category of insufficient resource management and inadequate input validation, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by malicious actors to disrupt service availability. The vulnerability specifically targets the authentication recovery process where users request password reset emails, making it a prime target for denial of service attacks that can effectively prevent legitimate users from accessing their accounts.
The technical implementation flaw lies in the lack of proper throttling mechanisms within the email sending functionality of the forget password feature. Attackers can repeatedly trigger password reset requests without any restrictions on the frequency or volume of emails being dispatched, allowing them to overwhelm the mail server infrastructure and potentially exhaust available resources. This absence of rate limiting constitutes a failure in implementing proper access control measures that should be enforced at the application level to prevent abuse of authentication mechanisms. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it can be exploited by both human actors and automated systems including bots or malware, amplifying the potential impact and making detection more challenging.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to include potential compromise of program logic and broader system integrity issues. When an attacker successfully floods the email system through this mechanism, they can cause legitimate users to be unable to receive password reset emails, effectively locking them out of their accounts while simultaneously consuming system resources that could be used for legitimate operations. This type of attack can also serve as a precursor to more sophisticated attacks, potentially enabling account takeover attempts or further exploitation of the system. The vulnerability creates an avenue for attackers to disrupt normal business operations and can result in significant reputational damage to the organization.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust rate limiting controls at multiple levels including application-level throttling, IP address monitoring, and account-based restrictions for password reset requests. Organizations should deploy mechanisms that track and limit the frequency of password reset attempts from individual accounts or IP addresses within defined time windows. The implementation should align with established security frameworks such as those recommended in the CWE catalog under category 307 which addresses insufficient session management and improper access control. Additionally, implementing CAPTCHA systems or other human verification mechanisms can help distinguish between legitimate user requests and automated abuse patterns. Network-level controls including connection limiting and email queue management should also be deployed to prevent system resource exhaustion. The solution must also consider implementing monitoring and alerting systems that can detect unusual patterns of password reset activity and automatically trigger defensive measures to protect the integrity of the authentication system.