CVE-2023-36465 : What You Need to Know

Decidim has a broken access control vulnerability in its templates allowing unauthorized access to certain functionalities. Learn more about the impact, technical details, and mitigation steps related to CVE-2023-36465.

Understanding CVE-2023-36465

This CVE involves a security vulnerability in Decidim, a participatory democracy framework developed in Ruby on Rails. The issue pertains to improper access control in the

templates

module, enabling unauthorized users to manipulate survey templates.

What is CVE-2023-36465?

Decidim, a platform utilized for online and offline participation, lacks proper permissions enforcement in the templates module. This flaw grants any logged-in user access to critical functionalities in the administration panel, potentially leading to unauthorized template modifications.

The Impact of CVE-2023-36465

The vulnerability poses a significant risk as malicious users can exploit it to alter, create, or delete survey templates, compromising the integrity of the platform's content.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-36465

The vulnerability is assigned a CVSS base score of 9.1 with a critical severity level. It has a low attack complexity, network-based attack vector, and high integrity impact.

Vulnerability Description

The issue arises from the lack of proper access controls in Decidim's

templates

module, allowing unauthorized users to perform administrative actions on survey templates.

Affected Systems and Versions

Decidim versions between 0.23.2 and < 0.26.8, as well as versions between 0.27.0 and < 0.27.4, are affected by this vulnerability.

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by leveraging the improper access controls in the

templates

module to manipulate survey templates without proper authorization.

Mitigation and Prevention

It is crucial to take immediate steps to address the CVE-2023-36465 vulnerability and implement long-term security practices to safeguard against similar threats.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are advised to update Decidim to patched versions 0.26.8 or 0.27.4 to mitigate the access control issue. Additionally, restrict access to the affected functionalities to authorized personnel.

Long-Term Security Practices

To enhance security posture, organizations should regularly update Decidim to the latest versions, conduct security assessments, and enforce least privilege access controls.

Patching and Updates

Decidim has released versions 0.26.8 and 0.27.4 to address the access control vulnerability. It is essential to promptly apply these patches to secure the platform against potential exploitation.