CVE-2023-22746 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

This CVE-2023-22746 involves CKAN, an open-source Data Management System (DMS) used for data hubs and portals. The vulnerability allows the session secret key to be shared across instances when using Docker images, potentially leading to authentication request forgery.

Understanding CVE-2023-22746

This section delves into the details of the vulnerability, its impact, technical aspects, and mitigation steps.

What is CVE-2023-22746?

The issue arises in CKAN instances utilizing Docker images, where a default secret key is shared if not customized via environment variables. This shared key across instances enables the forging of authentication requests, posing a security risk.

The Impact of CVE-2023-22746

The impact of this vulnerability is significant, with a CVSSv3.1 base score of 8.6, categorizing it as high severity. The confidentiality impact is high, while the availability and integrity impacts are rated as low. The attack complexity is low, and no privileges are required for exploitation.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-22746

This section provides a more in-depth look at the vulnerability's technical aspects, affected systems, and the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability results from the reuse of the same session secret key across different CKAN instances using Docker images, making it vulnerable to authentication request manipulation.

Affected Systems and Versions

The CVE affects CKAN versions equal to or greater than 2.9.0 but less than 2.9.7, as well as versions below 2.8.12. Specifically, users of certain Docker images such as ckan/ckan-docker, okfn/docker-ckan, and keitaroinc/docker-ckan are impacted.

Exploitation Mechanism

By default, if a custom secret key is not set via environment variables, the vulnerability allows attackers to exploit the shared session key to forge authentication requests in affected instances.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2023-22746 and enhance security measures, immediate steps and long-term security practices should be implemented.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are advised to set a custom secret key via environment variables in the

.env

file to prevent the sharing of session keys across CKAN instances. It is crucial to override the default secret key to mitigate the vulnerability.

Long-Term Security Practices

In the long term, organizations should implement robust security measures, such as regular security assessments, code review practices, and ensuring secure configurations to prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future.

Patching and Updates

Patching is vital to remediate the vulnerability. Affected users should refer to the provided GitHub advisories and commits for patching instructions and updates to resolve the issue effectively.