CVE-2023-1831 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

This CVE-2023-1831 was published by Mattermost on April 17, 2023. It revolves around the vulnerability in Mattermost software, where the user's password is logged in audit logs, compromising sensitive information if specific configurations are enabled.

Understanding CVE-2023-1831

This vulnerability, identified as "User password logged in audit logs," can have severe implications on the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of user passwords within the Mattermost platform.

What is CVE-2023-1831?

The CVE-2023-1831 vulnerability in Mattermost results in the failure to redact the user password during user creation and the user password hash in other operations from audit logs. This occurs when the experimental audit logging configuration is enabled in the ExperimentalAuditSettings section of the configuration.

The Impact of CVE-2023-1831

The impact of this vulnerability is rated as HIGH in terms of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. It has a base score of 7.2, signaling significant risks associated with unauthorized access to sensitive user information.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-1831

This section delves into the specific technical aspects related to the vulnerability in Mattermost.

Vulnerability Description

Mattermost fails to redact the user password during user creation and the user password hash in other operations from audit logs if the experimental audit logging configuration is enabled.

Affected Systems and Versions

Mattermost versions less than or equal to 7.7.2, 7.8.1, and 7.9.0 are affected by this vulnerability.
Versions 7.7.3, 7.8.2, and 7.9.1 are unaffected.

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability arises due to the incorrect handling of user password information in the audit logs, exposing sensitive data to potential attackers.

Mitigation and Prevention

Understanding the steps necessary to mitigate the impact of CVE-2023-1831 is crucial for ensuring the security of the affected systems.

Immediate Steps to Take

It is recommended to update Mattermost to version 7.7.3, 7.8.2, 7.9.1, or higher to address this vulnerability and prevent the exposure of sensitive user information.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implementing robust security practices, such as regular security audits, access control measures, and encryption of sensitive data, can help safeguard against similar vulnerabilities in the future.

Patching and Updates

Regularly applying security patches and updates provided by Mattermost is essential to ensure that the software remains secure and protected against known vulnerabilities.