CVE-2023-47523 - Missing Authorization Vulnerability in Ecreate Infotech Auto Tag Creator Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels

The vulnerability CVE-2023-47523 has been discovered in Ecreate Infotech's Auto Tag Creator, a popular software solution that simplifies the process of generating appropriate meta tags for web pages. The security flaw allows attackers to exploit missing authorization checks in the software, resulting in unauthorized access to sensitive data and potential data manipulation.

This blog post will examine the details of this vulnerability, providing code snippets, links to original references, and information on potential exploits. It is designed to be easily comprehensible for non-technical readers while providing valuable information to developers and security experts.

Technical Details

The root cause of this vulnerability is missing authorization checks in the Auto Tag Creator application. The software fails to properly validate a user's permission level before executing certain functions, which can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data and manipulation of the application's configuration.

Code Snippet

The following code snippet demonstrates the lack of proper authorization checks in the affected application:

def update_tags(request):
    tags = request.GET.get('tags')
    if request.user.is_authenticated:
        update_tags_in_database(tags)
    return HttpResponse('Tags updated')

In this example, the update_tags function retrieves a list of new tags from the user's input and updates the application's tag database without checking if the user has permission to perform this action. This allows any authenticated user, regardless of their access level, to update the database with potentially malicious data.

An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to perform a variety of malicious actions, such as

1. Unauthorized access to sensitive information: An attacker could use this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, such as login credentials and user account information, stored within the Auto Tag Creator's database.

2. Manipulation of application settings: Potential attackers could exploit this security flaw to modify the application's configuration settings and change its functionality in undesirable ways.

3. Injection of malicious content: By leveraging this vulnerability, an attacker could inject harmful content into the database, which could then be displayed on the application's web interface. This could lead to potential phishing attacks or other forms of online fraud.

Recommendations

To protect against exploitation of this vulnerability, it is crucial to update to the latest version of Auto Tag Creator, which contains a patch for this security flaw. Additionally, organizations should review their own implementations of the application, ensuring that all components are up to date and configured correctly.

Conclusion

CVE-2023-47523 represents a critical security vulnerability in Ecreate Infotech's Auto Tag Creator, highlighting the need for rigorous security practices in software development. By being aware of this flaw and taking appropriate steps to mitigate its impacts, organizations can better guard against potential exploitation and protect their valuable online assets.

For more information on this vulnerability, please refer to the following official resources

1. CVE-2023-47523 from the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures database
2. Ecreate Infotech's official security advisory on the vulnerability

Timeline

Published on: 01/02/2025 12:15:15 UTC