CVE-2023-50351: HCL DRYiCE MyXalytics Insecure Key Rotation Vulnerability

Overview

The cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving with new threats, vulnerabilities, and exploits. One such recent vulnerability is CVE-2023-50351, which affects HCL’s DRYiCE MyXalytics. This vulnerability is due to the use of an insecure key rotation mechanism, which can potentially lead to the compromise of data confidentiality or integrity. It is of utmost importance for organizations to understand this vulnerability, its potential impacts, and mitigation techniques to protect their systems and data.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2023-50351
Severity: High (8.2 CVSS score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Impact: Compromise of system and potential data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

HCL DRYiCE MyXalytics | All versions prior to the vendor patch

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability stems from the insecure key rotation mechanism in HCL’s DRYiCE MyXalytics. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by intercepting the key during the rotation process. Since the key rotation is insecure, it does not provide adequate protection for the key during the rotation. This allows the attacker to compromise the confidentiality or integrity of the data protected by the key.

Conceptual Example Code

The following is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. In this pseudocode example, the attacker is able to intercept the key during the rotation process.

def exploit(target):
# Establish a connection to the target
connection = establish_connection(target)
# Wait for the key rotation process to start
while not check_key_rotation(connection):
time.sleep(1)
# Intercept the key during the rotation process
intercepted_key = intercept_key(connection)
# Use the intercepted key to compromise the data
compromised_data = compromise_data(connection, intercepted_key)
return compromised_data

This is a simplified representation of the exploit, but it serves to illustrate the vulnerability’s exploitation. In a real-world scenario, the specific techniques and tools used to exploit this vulnerability would depend on various factors, including the specific configuration of the target system and the attacker’s capabilities.

Mitigation Guidance

To mitigate this vulnerability, affected users should apply the vendor-provided patch as soon as possible. In the absence of a patch, users can use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) as a temporary mitigation measure. However, these are not long-term solutions and will not completely eliminate the vulnerability. It is highly recommended to apply the patch to fully resolve the vulnerability.