CVE-2026-67071 in DevOps Deploy
Summary
by MITRE • 09/18/2026
HCL DevOps Deploy / HCL Launch is susceptible to an information disclosure vulnerability when processing redacted property values. If a deployment is configured with a secure property that starts with certain non-ASCII characters, the redaction engine may fail to mask subsequent ASCII secure values embedded inside insecure properties.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/18/2026
The identified vulnerability in HCL DevOps Deploy and HCL Launch represents a critical flaw within the application's sensitive data handling mechanisms, specifically targeting the logic responsible for masking or redacting secure property values during deployment operations. This issue stems from an improper implementation of input validation and state management within the redaction engine. When processing configuration files that contain encrypted or masked credentials, the system is designed to replace these values with placeholder characters such as asterisks to prevent exposure in logs, user interfaces, or API responses. However, the underlying algorithm fails to correctly parse property strings when they are prefixed by specific non-ASCII Unicode characters. This parsing error disrupts the internal state tracking of which segments of a string constitute secure data versus insecure text, leading to a breakdown in the masking process for subsequent ASCII-based sensitive values embedded within those same properties.
From a technical perspective, this flaw can be classified under CWE-209 as an Information Exposure Through an Error Message or through improper handling of input that leads to unintended information disclosure. The root cause lies in how the application handles character encoding and string boundary detection during the redaction phase. By allowing non-ASCII characters at the start of a secure property, attackers can manipulate the parser's cursor position or state machine, causing it to skip over subsequent ASCII-encoded secrets. This results in these sensitive values being written to output streams, log files, or displayed in plain text within the deployment dashboard. The vulnerability effectively bypasses standard security controls designed to protect credentials such as database passwords, API keys, and authentication tokens that are stored as secure properties within HCL Launch configurations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for organizations relying on these tools for continuous integration and delivery pipelines. If exploited, an attacker with access to the deployment interface or ability to trigger specific build jobs could extract plaintext credentials from system logs or UI responses. These compromised secrets can then be used to gain unauthorized access to downstream systems, databases, or cloud infrastructure managed by the organization. This scenario aligns closely with ATT&CK technique T1504, specifically Weakly Encrypted Data, as it involves the failure to properly protect sensitive data at rest and in transit within the application's internal processing logic. The exposure of these credentials undermines the principle of least privilege and can lead to full system compromise if the extracted secrets have elevated permissions across multiple environments.
Mitigation strategies must focus on both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. Organizations should immediately apply vendor-provided patches that address this specific parsing flaw in HCL DevOps Deploy and HCL Launch versions affected by the issue. In addition to patching, administrators should audit deployment configurations to ensure that secure properties do not begin with non-ASCII characters unless explicitly supported and tested for safe handling. Implementing strict input validation rules at the API level can prevent malformed property strings from reaching the redaction engine. Furthermore, organizations should enhance their monitoring capabilities by scanning log files and application outputs for patterns indicative of plaintext credentials, ensuring that any accidental exposure is detected quickly. Regular security assessments focusing on data masking logic in CI/CD tools are essential to maintain robust defense-in-depth against information disclosure vulnerabilities.