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Executive Summary
CVE-2023-23397 is a critical elevation of privilege vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook with a CVSS base score of 9.8, indicating its high severity. This vulnerability is exploited by sending a specially crafted email to a victim, which triggers the vulnerability when the email is processed by the Outlook client. The sectors and countries targeted by Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups exploiting this vulnerability include government agencies, financial institutions, and critical infrastructure sectors in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Technical Information
CVE-2023-23397 is a critical elevation of privilege vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook. The vulnerability has a CVSS base score of 9.8, reflecting its high severity and potential impact. The vulnerability is identified by the CVE ID CVE-2023-23397 and is classified as an elevation of privilege type. The affected software versions include Microsoft Outlook 2013 SP1, Microsoft Outlook 2016, Microsoft Office 2019, Microsoft Office 2021, and Microsoft 365 Apps.
The vulnerability exists due to improper input validation in Microsoft Outlook. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted email to the victim. When the email is processed by the Outlook client, it triggers the vulnerability, allowing the attacker to gain elevated privileges on the victim's system. This can lead to unauthorized access, data exfiltration, and potential further exploitation of the compromised system.
The exploitation of CVE-2023-23397 typically involves sending a malicious email to the target. The email contains specially crafted content that, when processed by the Outlook client, triggers the vulnerability. This allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, potentially leading to a full compromise of the victim's system.
Exploitation in the Wild
CVE-2023-23397 has been actively exploited in the wild. Threat actors have been observed using this vulnerability to gain elevated privileges and execute arbitrary code on the victim's system. The exploitation typically involves sending a malicious email to the target, which, when processed by Outlook, triggers the vulnerability. Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) include the presence of malicious emails with unusual or suspicious content and unexpected elevation of privileges on user accounts.
APT Groups using this vulnerability
While specific APT groups exploiting CVE-2023-23397 have not been publicly disclosed, the nature of the vulnerability suggests that it could be leveraged by sophisticated threat actors for targeted attacks. The sectors and countries targeted by these APT groups include government agencies, financial institutions, and critical infrastructure sectors in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Affected Product Versions
The affected product versions include Microsoft Outlook 2013 SP1, Microsoft Outlook 2016, Microsoft Office 2019, Microsoft Office 2021, and Microsoft 365 Apps. Organizations using these versions of Microsoft Outlook should prioritize applying the necessary patches to mitigate the risk associated with this vulnerability.
Workaround and Mitigation
To mitigate the risk associated with CVE-2023-23397, organizations should implement the following strategies:
Patch Management: Apply the security updates provided by Microsoft to address this vulnerability. Refer to the Microsoft Security Update Guide for detailed instructions (https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2023-23397).
Email Filtering: Implement robust email filtering mechanisms to detect and block malicious emails that may exploit this vulnerability.
User Training: Educate users about the risks associated with opening emails from unknown or untrusted sources.
References
For further information and detailed analysis, refer to the following resources:
NVD - CVE-2023-23397 (https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/cve-2023-23397)
Microsoft Security Update Guide - CVE-2023-23397 (https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2023-23397)
Palo Alto Networks Threat Brief (https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/threat-brief-cve-2023-23397/)
Microsoft Blog on CVE-2023-23397 (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2023/03/24/guidance-for-investigating-attacks-using-cve-2023-23397/)
Trend Micro Analysis (https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/23/c/patch-cve-2023-23397-immediately-what-you-need-to-know-and-do.html)
SentinelOne Blog (https://www.sentinelone.com/blog/cve-2023-23397/)
Rescana is here for you
At Rescana, we understand the critical importance of protecting your organization from emerging cybersecurity threats. Our Continuous Threat and Exposure Management (CTEM) platform helps you stay ahead of vulnerabilities like CVE-2023-23397 by providing real-time threat intelligence, automated vulnerability assessments, and comprehensive mitigation strategies. We are committed to helping you safeguard your systems and data from potential attacks. If you have any questions about this report or any other issue, please contact us at ops@rescana.com.
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