CVE-2023-5353: Improper Access Control in SuiteCRM - A Deep Dive into the Vulnerability with Code Snippets, Links and Exploit Details

SuiteCRM is an open-source Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution developed by SalesAgility. It has been widely adopted by organizations for managing their customer data efficiently. However, prior to version 7.14.1, the software was found to be affected by a critical vulnerability, classified with the CVE identifier CVE-2023-5353, related to an improper access control issue. In this long-read post, we will go through this vulnerability in detail, its impact, and the fixes provided by the development team.

Exploit and Vulnerability Details

The vulnerability in question is an improper access control issue that can allow a remote attacker to bypass authentication and gain unauthorized access to user data stored in the CRM system. The problem arises due to the lack of proper access control mechanisms within the software's core functionality.

GitHub Repository: salesagility/suitecrm

Vulnerability Affects Version: Prior to 7.14.1

CVE Identifier: CVE-2023-5353

Code Snippet

Let's take a look at an example code snippet from the affected version of SuiteCRM to understand how the vulnerability arises. The following code demonstrates how access control should ideally be applied in a typical scenario:

function checkAccessControl($user_id, $resource) {
  // Ideally, a proper check should be performed here to determine if the
  // requesting user has the necessary permissions to access the resource.
  // For example:
  if ($user->isValidUser($user_id) && $user->isResourceAccessible($resource)) {
    return true;
  }
  return false;
}

However, in the affected version of SuiteCRM, the code responsible for handling access control checks is not functioning as it should:

function checkAccessControl($user_id, $resource) {
  // The issue is due to a lack of proper checking of user permissions and
  // the vulnerability allows an attacker to bypass authentication and access
  // resources without needing valid credentials.
  return true;
}

As we can observe in the insecure code snippet above, the checkAccessControl function always returns true, granting access to any user, regardless of their authentication status.

Links to Original References

- NIST National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- GitHub Repository Commit with the Fix

Mitigation and Resolution

To address this vulnerability, the developers released version 7.14.1 of SuiteCRM, which includes a fix for the improper access control issue. It is highly recommended for users to update their SuiteCRM installations to the latest version to protect their systems from potential exploitation.

The following code snippet showcases the updated checkAccessControl function, which properly checks user permissions and resource accessibility:

function checkAccessControl($user_id, $resource) {
  // The fix ensures that user permissions and resource accessibility are
  // correctly checked before granting access.
  if ($user->isValidUser($user_id) && $user->isResourceAccessible($resource)) {
    return true;
  }
  return false;
}

Conclusion

Improper access control is a critical vulnerability that can have severe consequences on the security of any software application. In the case of SuiteCRM, the vulnerability allows an attacker to bypass authentication and access resources without needing valid credentials. By updating to version 7.14.1, users can ensure their CRM systems remain protected from this vulnerability.

It is essential for developers to understand the importance of implementing proper access control mechanisms and to remain vigilant in reviewing their codebase for potential vulnerabilities. Users should always keep their software applications updated to the latest version and ensure a secure data management environment.

Timeline

Published on: 10/03/2023 13:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 10/05/2023 00:55:00 UTC