CVE-2023-23629 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies

This CVE-2023-23629 pertains to Metabase, an open-source data analytics platform, being vulnerable to Improper Privilege Management.

Understanding CVE-2023-23629

Metabase versions are affected by a vulnerability that allows users with lower privileges to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information through dashboard subscriptions.

What is CVE-2023-23629?

The vulnerability in Metabase allows users with lower data privileges to add themselves to dashboard subscriptions created by users with higher data access levels. As a result, they receive more data via email than they are authorized to access.

The Impact of CVE-2023-23629

The impact of CVE-2023-23629 is significant as it exposes sensitive information to unauthorized users, potentially compromising data confidentiality and integrity. It poses a medium severity risk with high confidentiality impact.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-23629

The vulnerability is classified with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.3, indicating a medium severity issue with low attack complexity and required user interaction over a network.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability stems from improper privilege management in Metabase, allowing unauthorized users to exploit dashboard subscriptions to access more data than permitted.

Affected Systems and Versions

Metabase versions < 0.43.7.1, >= 0.44.0-RC1 and < 0.44.6.1, >= 0.45.0-RC1 and < 0.45.2.1, >= 1.0.0 and < 1.43.7.1, >= 1.44.0-RC1 and < 1.44.6.1, >= 1.45.0-RC1 and < 1.45.2.1 are affected.

Exploitation Mechanism

Unauthorized users exploit the vulnerability by adding themselves to dashboard subscriptions created by users with higher data privileges, gaining access to additional data via email.

Mitigation and Prevention

To mitigate the CVE-2023-23629 vulnerability, immediate steps can be taken along with employing long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

It's recommended to update Metabase to patched versions 0.43.7.1, 1.43.7.1, 0.44.6.1, 1.44.6.1, 0.45.2.1, or 1.45.2.1. Additionally, on Enterprise Edition instances, administrators can disable the "Subscriptions and Alerts" permission for groups with restricted data access as a temporary workaround.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implementing proper privilege management protocols, regular security assessments, and user access reviews can enhance overall security posture and prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future.

Patching and Updates

Regularly applying security updates and patches provided by Metabase is crucial to prevent security vulnerabilities and ensure optimal protection against potential threats.