CVE-2022-4264
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2022-4264 is an incorrect privilege assignment vulnerability in M-Files Web (Classic) that allows low-privilege users to modify certain system configurations. This affects M-Files installations before version 22.8.11691.0. Organizations using vulnerable versions of M-Files are at risk of unauthorized configuration changes.
💻 Affected Systems
- M-Files Web (Classic)
📦 What is this software?
M Files by M Files
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker with low privileges could modify critical system configurations, potentially enabling data exposure, service disruption, or privilege escalation to administrative access.
Likely Case
Low-privilege users could alter configuration settings they shouldn't have access to, potentially affecting system behavior, user permissions, or data access controls.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and monitoring, unauthorized changes would be detected and could be rolled back before causing significant damage.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access with any user account, even low-privilege ones.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 22.8.11691.0 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://empower.m-files.com/security-advisories/CVE-2022-4264
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download M-Files version 22.8.11691.0 or later from M-Files Empower portal. 2. Backup your M-Files configuration and databases. 3. Run the installer on your M-Files server. 4. Restart the M-Files service and verify functionality.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable M-Files Web (Classic)
windowsSwitch to using only the newer M-Files Web interface which is not affected by this vulnerability.
Navigate to M-Files Admin > Web Access > Disable 'M-Files Web (Classic)'
Restrict User Permissions
windowsReview and minimize configuration-related permissions for low-privilege users.
Review user permissions in M-Files Admin > Users and Groups
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict monitoring of configuration changes and user activity logs
- Enforce principle of least privilege by removing unnecessary permissions from low-privilege accounts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check M-Files version in Admin console: Settings > About. If version is below 22.8.11691.0, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
In M-Files Admin console: Navigate to Settings > About to view versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 22.8.11691.0 or higher in Admin console and test that low-privilege users cannot access configuration functions.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual configuration change events from low-privilege users
- Access to administrative functions from non-admin accounts
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to configuration endpoints from unauthorized user accounts
SIEM Query:
source="M-Files" AND (event_type="configuration_change" OR event_type="permission_violation") AND user_privilege="low"