CVE-2023-26089 – CVE-2023-26089 allows authentication bypass in ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-26089?

CVE-2023-26089 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). CVE-2023-26089 allows authentication bypass in European Chemicals Agency IUCLID 6.x software due to a weak hard-coded secret used for JWT signing. Attackers can forge valid authentication tokens to gain unauthorized access. Organizations using IUCLID versions 5.15.0 through 6.27.5 are affected.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2023-26089 allows authentication bypass in European Chemicals Agency IUCLID 6.x software due to a weak hard-coded secret used for JWT signing. Attackers can forge valid authentication tokens to gain unauthorized access. Organizations using IUCLID versions 5.15.0 through 6.27.5 are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

European Chemicals Agency IUCLID

Versions: 5.15.0 through 6.27.5

Operating Systems: All platforms running IUCLID

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All deployments using affected versions are vulnerable regardless of configuration.

📦 What is this software?

Iuclid by Echa.europa

View all CVEs affecting Iuclid →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete system compromise allowing attackers to access, modify, or delete sensitive chemical data, potentially leading to regulatory violations or industrial espionage.

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthorized access to sensitive chemical databases, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the IUCLID system.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper network segmentation and monitoring, but authentication bypass remains possible.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - If IUCLID is exposed to the internet, attackers can remotely bypass authentication without credentials.

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Even internally, any user with network access can bypass authentication and gain unauthorized privileges.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires knowledge of the weak secret but is technically simple once obtained.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 6.27.6

Vendor Advisory: https://iuclid6.echa.europa.eu/documents/1387205/1809530/note_v6.27.6.pdf/76545a65-e6be-6486-280a-7d7c3d2ad455?t=1677577170669

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Download IUCLID 6.27.6 from the official ECHA website. 2. Backup current installation and data. 3. Install the update following vendor documentation. 4. Restart the IUCLID service.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Network Isolation

all

Restrict network access to IUCLID to only trusted IP addresses and networks.

Enhanced Monitoring

all

Implement strict authentication logging and alert on suspicious JWT usage patterns.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict network segmentation and firewall rules to limit access to IUCLID instances
Deploy web application firewall (WAF) with JWT validation rules and monitor for authentication anomalies

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check IUCLID version via admin interface or configuration files. Versions 5.15.0 through 6.27.5 are vulnerable.

Check Version:

Check IUCLID web interface admin panel or review installation documentation for version information.

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm version is 6.27.6 or later and test authentication with invalid tokens to ensure they are rejected.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Failed authentication attempts followed by successful access with unusual tokens
JWT validation errors or signature mismatches

Network Indicators:

Unusual authentication requests from unexpected IP addresses
Multiple authentication attempts with varying JWT tokens

SIEM Query:

source="iuclid" AND (event_type="authentication" AND result="success") AND NOT (user IN ["authorized_users"])

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-26089

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-798

Published: May 2, 2023

Last Updated: January 30, 2025

🔗 References

https://iuclid6.echa.europa.eu Product
https://iuclid6.echa.europa.eu/documents/1387205/1809530/note_v6.27.6.pdf/76545a65-e6be-6486-280a-7d7c3d2ad455?t=1677577170669 Mitigation,Vendor Advisory
https://iuclid6.echa.europa.eu/download Product
https://iuclid6.echa.europa.eu Product
https://iuclid6.echa.europa.eu/documents/1387205/1809530/note_v6.27.6.pdf/76545a65-e6be-6486-280a-7d7c3d2ad455?t=1677577170669 Mitigation,Vendor Advisory
https://iuclid6.echa.europa.eu/download Product

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