CVE-2024-23564 Overview
CVE-2024-23564 is a business logic vulnerability in HCL Aftermarket EPC. The flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to intercept passwords intended for legitimate users by manipulating the server's response. The application validates the UserId in initial requests but fails to apply equivalent validation to email requests when passwords are sent to user inboxes. An attacker can redirect password delivery to an attacker-controlled email address, bypassing identity checks entirely. The vulnerability is categorized under [CWE-326] Inadequate Encryption Strength and carries a network-based attack vector with no privileges or user interaction required.
Critical Impact
An unauthenticated attacker can obtain valid user passwords by redirecting the server's password recovery email to an attacker-owned address, resulting in full account takeover.
Affected Products
- HCL Aftermarket EPC
- Password recovery and email delivery workflow within the application
- Deployments exposing the affected endpoints to network-based clients
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-07-17 - CVE-2024-23564 published to NVD
- 2026-07-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-23564
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in HCL Aftermarket EPC's password recovery workflow. The application performs identity validation during the initial request phase to confirm that a submitted UserId corresponds to a valid account. However, the subsequent email request that triggers password delivery does not enforce the same validation on the destination email address.
An attacker can submit a valid UserId to pass the initial check, then modify the email field in the follow-on request. The server processes this manipulated response and dispatches the target user's password to an attacker-controlled inbox. Because the flaw exists in the application's control flow rather than in a memory boundary or parser, it is exploitable without crafted payloads or protocol abuse.
The issue is a Business Logic Error compounded by weak protection of authentication material, mapped to [CWE-326]. Passwords transmitted through recoverable channels indicate the application does not store credentials using irreversible hashing, which allows plaintext or reversibly-encoded secrets to leave the server.
Root Cause
The root cause is inconsistent input validation between logically dependent requests. The UserId verification in the first step is not carried forward as a binding constraint on the email destination in the second step. The server treats the two requests as independent, allowing tampering with response parameters to redirect sensitive output.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires only network access to the Aftermarket EPC application. The attacker submits a legitimate UserId belonging to a target account, intercepts or crafts the follow-on password delivery request, and substitutes their own email address. The server responds by transmitting the target user's password to the attacker.
No authentication, privileges, or user interaction are required. Refer to the HCL Software Knowledge Base Article for vendor-provided technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-23564
Indicators of Compromise
- Password recovery emails dispatched to addresses not associated with the corresponding UserId in the identity store.
- Multiple password recovery requests targeting distinct UserId values originating from a single source IP within a short window.
- Application logs showing mismatches between the UserId validated in the initial request and the email address used in the subsequent send request.
Detection Strategies
- Correlate the UserId submitted in the initial validation request with the email destination in the follow-on request and alert on divergence.
- Baseline normal password recovery volumes per source IP and per account, then flag anomalous spikes.
- Inspect HTTP request sequences for tampering patterns where response fields have been modified between related requests.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable verbose application logging for the password recovery endpoint, including source IP, UserId, and destination email address.
- Forward web server and application logs to a centralized analytics platform for cross-request correlation.
- Monitor outbound mail server queues for password delivery messages sent to external or newly observed domains.
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-23564
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the vendor guidance published in the HCL Software Knowledge Base Article.
- Restrict network access to the Aftermarket EPC password recovery endpoints to trusted networks until patched.
- Force a password reset for all users whose accounts may have been targeted through the recovery workflow.
Patch Information
HCL has published remediation guidance in knowledge base article KB0131787. Administrators should consult the vendor advisory for the applicable fixed version and deployment steps for HCL Aftermarket EPC.
Workarounds
- Disable or gate the self-service password recovery feature until the vendor patch is applied.
- Enforce server-side binding between the validated UserId and the registered email of record, ignoring any client-supplied email in the send request.
- Replace plaintext password recovery with a one-time reset link sent only to the email address stored for the account.
- Rate-limit password recovery requests per source IP and per account to reduce enumeration and abuse.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
