CVE-2022-24083: Pega Infinity Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2022-24083 Overview

CVE-2022-24083 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability affecting Pega Infinity, a leading enterprise application platform used for business process management and customer engagement. This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass local authentication checks for local accounts, potentially granting unauthorized access to the application without valid credentials.

Critical Impact

Attackers can bypass password authentication for local accounts, enabling unauthorized access to Pega Infinity systems with potential for complete system compromise including data theft, modification, and service disruption.

Affected Products

• Pega Infinity (all versions prior to security patch)

Discovery Timeline

• 2022-07-25 - CVE CVE-2022-24083 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-24083

Vulnerability Analysis

This authentication bypass vulnerability (CWE-285: Improper Authorization) enables attackers to circumvent the normal password authentication process for local accounts within Pega Infinity. The flaw allows unauthorized users to access the system without providing valid credentials, effectively nullifying the primary authentication control.

The vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network without requiring any prior authentication or user interaction. An attacker with network access to a vulnerable Pega Infinity instance can exploit this flaw to gain unauthorized access, potentially leading to complete compromise of the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and services managed by the platform.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in improper authorization handling within Pega Infinity's local account authentication mechanism. The application fails to properly validate authentication credentials for local accounts, allowing the authentication check to be bypassed under certain conditions. This represents a fundamental flaw in the authentication logic where access decisions are not properly enforced.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, meaning an attacker with network access to the Pega Infinity application can exploit this vulnerability remotely. The attack requires:

• Network access to the vulnerable Pega Infinity instance
• No prior privileges or authentication required
• No user interaction needed

The exploitation mechanism involves manipulating the authentication request to bypass the password verification logic for local accounts. Successful exploitation grants the attacker access to the application with the privileges of the bypassed account, potentially including administrative access.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-24083

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or unexpected successful login events for local accounts without corresponding valid authentication attempts
• Authentication logs showing access from unexpected IP addresses or geographic locations
• Multiple successful authentications for the same local account from different sources in a short timeframe
• Anomalous user activity following authentication, such as unusual data access patterns or configuration changes

Detection Strategies

• Monitor authentication logs for local account logins that lack proper credential validation sequences
• Implement behavioral analysis to detect authentication anomalies that deviate from normal patterns
• Deploy network intrusion detection rules to identify potential exploitation attempts targeting Pega Infinity authentication endpoints
• Review access control logs for unauthorized resource access following suspicious authentication events

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed authentication logging within Pega Infinity to capture all login attempts and their outcomes
• Configure SIEM alerts for failed-to-successful authentication patterns that may indicate bypass attempts
• Regularly audit local account activity and correlate with expected business operations
• Monitor for unexpected privilege escalation or administrative actions following authentication events

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-24083

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the security hotfix from Pega as documented in their Security Advisory C22 immediately
• Restrict network access to Pega Infinity instances to trusted networks and users only
• Audit all local accounts and review recent authentication activity for signs of compromise
• Consider temporarily disabling local account authentication if possible, using alternative authentication methods until patched

Patch Information

Pega has released security hotfixes to address this vulnerability. Organizations should consult the Pega Security Advisory C22 for the complete hotfix matrix and apply the appropriate patch for their Pega Infinity version. The advisory provides version-specific guidance on which hotfix to apply.

Workarounds

• Implement network segmentation to limit exposure of Pega Infinity instances to untrusted networks
• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) in front of Pega Infinity to add an additional layer of authentication protection
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) where supported to provide defense-in-depth
• Disable local accounts if not required for business operations and use centralized identity management

# Example: Network access restriction via firewall
# Restrict access to Pega Infinity to trusted IP ranges only
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 10.0.0.0/8 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP