Overview
This report examines CVE-2023-49961, a significant security vulnerability discovered in various versions of WALLIX Bastion and WALLIX Access Manager. Incorrect access control in these products can lead to sensitive data exposure, posing a substantial risk to organizations using these software solutions. The potential for system compromise and data leakage underscores the urgency of addressing this vulnerability promptly.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2023-49961
Severity: High (7.5 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise and sensitive data exposure
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
WALLIX Bastion | 7.x, 8.x, 9.x, 10.x
WALLIX Access Manager | 3.x, 4.x
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability originates from incorrect access control mechanisms within the affected WALLIX products. An attacker can exploit this by sending specially crafted network requests to the system. These requests can bypass the existing security restrictions, allowing the attacker to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data.
Conceptual Example Code
The following is a conceptual example of how an attacker might exploit this vulnerability. This pseudocode represents a malicious network request designed to bypass the access control mechanisms:
POST /vulnerable/endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{ "malicious_payload": "bypass_access_control" }
Please note that this is a simplified example and actual attacks might be more complex and tailored to the specific security configurations of the target system.
Mitigation Guidance
Organizations are advised to apply the vendor-provided patch as soon as possible to mitigate this vulnerability. If patching is not immediately feasible, the use of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation by detecting and blocking malicious network requests. However, these are not long-term solutions and can only minimize the risk of exploitation until patches are applied.

