HCL AppScan Presence: Unquoted Search Path or Element
CVE-2023-37537 is a high-severity unquoted search path or element vulnerability in HCL AppScan Presence from HCL Software, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. Affected HCL AppScan Presence versions: <=2.1.37. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.18% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of HCL AppScan Presence you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on support.hcltechsw.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| HCL Software | HCL AppScan Presence | <=2.1.37 | Not stated |
| HCL Software | Appscan Presence | 2.1.37 and earlier | Not stated |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 | High | CNA (hcl.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 | High | NVD |
Official description
An unquoted service path vulnerability in HCL AppScan Presence, deployed as a Windows service in HCL AppScan on Cloud (ASoC), may allow a local attacker to gain elevated privileges.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Unquoted Search Path or Element
The product uses a search path that contains an unquoted element, in which the element contains whitespace or other separators. This can cause the product to access resources in a parent path.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Properly quote the full search path before executing a program on the system.
- Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174). Such errors could be used to bypass allowlist validation schemes by introducing dangerous inputs after they have been checked.
More Unquoted Search Path or Element vulnerabilities (CWE-428)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Recent Unquoted Search Path or Element vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.8 High severity
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