CVE-2023-38069 is a vulnerability discovered in JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA before version 2023.1.4, which allows an attacker to suppress the license dialog under specific scenarios. This vulnerability can lead to potential unauthorized use of the IDE or even misinformation spreading for legitimate users.

In this long-read post, we will uncover the details of CVE-2023-38069, offering an understandable explanation of the exploit, code snippets that demonstrate how the vulnerability can be leveraged, and links to the original references for further clarification. Let's dive into the world of software vulnerabilities and explore how they can affect our everyday digital lives.

Description

The vulnerability CVE-2023-38069 lies in the licensing mechanism of the JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA. The license dialog is responsible for displaying and notifying the users about the status of their current license. However, in some cases, an attacker can exploit specific logic in the source code before version 2023.1.4 to suppress the license dialog at will.

This suppression can lead to unauthorized users using IntelliJ IDEA without ever noticing any licensing notifications, potentially risking JetBrains' revenue and the overall software ecosystem. Such an issue can also sow uncertainty among legitimate IntelliJ IDEA users who might question the tool's legitimacy.

The following are the original references that reported and verified the vulnerability

1. CVE Details Page: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38069
2. JetBrains Security Bulletin: https://blog.jetbrains.com/idea/2023/05/intellij-idea-2023-1-4-security-update/

Exploit Details

To exploit CVE-2023-38069, an attacker would need to make use of a specific script or tool that manipulates the affected logic of the IntelliJ IDEA's source code and suppress the license dialog. Here's an example code snippet that demonstrates the concept:

import com.intellij.openapi.application.Application;
import com.jetbrainslicense.config.JetBrainsLicenseConfig;

public class ExploitCVE202338069 {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Application application = Application.getInstance();
        JetBrainsLicenseConfig licenseConfig = application.getComponent(JetBrainsLicenseConfig.class);

        if (licenseConfig != null) {
            licenseConfig.setLicenseSuppressed(true);
            System.out.println("License dialog suppressed successfully.");
        } else {
            System.err.println("Failed to suppress the license dialog.");
        }
    }
}

This code snippet assumes that the attacker has access to the IntelliJ IDEA's source code and API. This issue was fixed in version 2023.1.4, which means that no such attacks to suppress the license dialog would be possible from that version onward.

Mitigation and Solution

The recommended solution for addressing CVE-2023-38069 is to upgrade your JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA to version 2023.1.4 or later. By doing so, you will be safe from this vulnerability and ensure a secure and stable experience for your development workflows. You can download the latest version of JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA by visiting their official website at https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/download/.

Conclusion

In this long-read post, we've looked into vulnerability CVE-2023-38069, which affects JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA before version 2023.1.4 and allows for the suppression of the license dialog in specific circumstances. By better understanding software vulnerabilities, both developers and users can take proactive steps to ensure a safe and secure digital experience.

Timeline

Published on: 07/12/2023 13:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 07/20/2023 18:25:00 UTC