CVE-2023-4501
CriticalCVSS 9.8Exploitation Probability (EPSS)
Low risk46th percentile - higher than 46% of all known CVEs
Summary
User authentication with username and password credentials is ineffective in OpenText (Micro Focus) Visual COBOL, COBOL Server, Enterprise Developer, and Enterprise Server (including variants such as Enterprise Test Server) in specific versions when LDAP-based authentication is used with certain configurations. The vulnerability allows authentication with any valid username regardless of password correctness, and sometimes even with an invalid username.
Risk Assessment
An attacker with access to the product can impersonate any user, potentially leading to unauthorized access to data and systems.
Recommendation
It is recommended to apply the upcoming patch from the vendor or contact OpenText support for workarounds. Administrators should test their installations for the vulnerability.
Original NVD description (English source)
User authentication with username and password credentials is ineffective in OpenText (Micro Focus) Visual COBOL, COBOL Server, Enterprise Developer, and Enterprise Server (including product variants such as Enterprise Test Server), versions 7.0 patch updates 19 and 20, 8.0 patch updates 8 and 9, and 9.0 patch update 1, when LDAP-based authentication is used with certain configurations. When the vulnerability is active, authentication succeeds with any valid username, regardless of whether the password is correct; it may also succeed with an invalid username (and any password). This allows an attacker with access to the product to impersonate any user. Mitigations: The issue is corrected in the upcoming patch update for each affected product. Product overlays and workaround instructions are available through OpenText Support. The vulnerable configurations are believed to be uncommon. Administrators can test for the vulnerability in their installations by attempting to sign on to a Visual COBOL or Enterprise Server component such as ESCWA using a valid username and incorrect password.