CVE-2023-32760

Executive Summary

CVE-2023-32760 is an information disclosure vulnerability affecting the Archer Platform, a widely deployed enterprise governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC) solution. An authenticated attacker can exploit improper access controls on API endpoints related to data feeds and data publication to obtain sensitive information that should be restricted. The vulnerability is fixed in versions 6.12.0.6 and 6.13.0, with all prior versions considered vulnerable. Given the sensitive nature of data typically stored within GRC platforms — including compliance findings, audit results, and risk assessments — successful exploitation poses a significant confidentiality risk to affected organizations. The CVSS score of 7.7 (High) reflects the substantial confidentiality impact balanced against the requirement for authenticated access.

Technical Analysis

The NVD description indicates that the vulnerability resides in the Archer Platform's handling of API calls related to data feeds and data publication functionality. The platform exposes a set of RESTful or SOAP-based APIs that allow authenticated users to import, manage, and publish data between the platform and external systems.

The root cause is consistent with a broken access control or missing authorization check. The APIs responsible for data feeds and data publication likely fail to properly validate whether the authenticated user possesses the required role-based permissions (e.g., "Data Feed Administrator" or "Data Publication" privileges) before serving responses. As a result, a low-privileged authenticated user can invoke these API endpoints and receive data that should only be visible to higher-privileged roles or administrators.

Specific technical details—such as the exact API endpoint paths, HTTP method(s) affected, and the precise authorization logic flaw—are not disclosed in the public CVE description. The vendor has not published a technical advisory detailing root-cause analysis at this time. The vulnerability class is best described as CWE-862: Missing Authorization or CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor, though the CNA has not formally assigned a CWE identifier.

The attack surface is the Archer Platform's web application layer. Because the flaw exists in API functionality, it is likely reachable via HTTP/HTTPS requests to the platform's web server. The authentication requirement (as stated in the description) means the attacker must already possess valid credentials for the platform, which reduces the feasibility of remote exploitation by unauthenticated parties but increases the risk from insider threats and compromised low-privileged accounts.

The data exposed via these APIs could include metadata from configured data feeds — such as source system names, connection parameters, or data mappings — as well as content from data publication operations, which often involves exporting GRC data to downstream systems. Any of this information could be considered sensitive from a business and security perspective.

Exploitation Scenarios

No public proof-of-concept (PoC) is available for CVE-2023-32760, and no known exploit-in-the-wild activity is recorded. The attack chain described below is inferred from the vulnerability class and the NVD description. The specific API endpoint names and parameter structures are not publicly disclosed; the description below therefore operates at the vulnerability-class level.

Step 1: Reconnaissance / Target Identification. An attacker with valid low-privileged credentials (e.g., a standard user account on the Archer Platform) enumerates the platform's API surface. This involves reviewing available API documentation (if exposed), observing network traffic generated by the application, or performing directory/endpoint fuzzing to identify API routes associated with data feeds and data publication. Tools such as Burp Suite or Postman may be used to catalog available endpoints.

Step 2: Triggering the Flaw. The attacker crafts HTTP requests to the identified API endpoints related to data feeds and data publication. Critically, the attacker does not need to possess the administrative roles that should govern access to these endpoints. The request is submitted with the attacker's normal authenticated session token or API key.

Step 3: Payload / Execution. Because the vulnerability is an authorization bypass rather than an injection flaw, no malicious payload is required. The attacker simply requests the API resources. However, the attacker may need to iterate over parameters — such as object identifiers, feed IDs, or page/pagination controls — to enumerate broader sets of data. If the API lacks adequate request rate limiting, the attacker can automate the process to extract large volumes of sensitive data.

Step 4: Post-Exploitation Impact. The attacker obtains confidential data exposed through the API responses. Depending on the platform's configuration, this data may include compliance test results, audit findings, risk assessments, third-party vendor information, or internal policy documents. The attacker can then use this information for further internal reconnaissance, competitive intelligence, or as leverage in social engineering or extortion attacks. The data may also be exfiltrated externally.

Impact Assessment

The CVSS score of 7.7 (High) reflects a severe confidentiality impact, with low attack complexity and low privileges required. The attack vector is most likely network-based (AV:N), requiring no user interaction. The scope is unchanged, meaning the compromise is constrained to the Archer Platform's data store.

Business Impact. Archer Platform is used by regulated industries — finance, healthcare, energy, government — to centralize GRC data. Exposure of this data can reveal material non-public information (MNPI), regulatory postures, security control weaknesses, and audit schedules. This can lead to regulatory penalties, loss of stakeholder trust, and a competitive disadvantage. Additionally, the disclosure of internal security control failures could enable further targeted attacks against the organization's infrastructure.

Blast Radius. The blast radius is confined to data managed within the Archer Platform instance. Organizations that integrate Archer with downstream systems (e.g., SIEM, ticketing, data lakes) via data feeds or publication may see a wider impact if the exposed API metadata reveals integration points and connection details. The confidentiality of both primary GRC data and integration metadata is at risk.

Exploitation Likelihood. With an EPSS score of 0.00484 (39.3rd percentile), the probability of active exploitation in the wild is currently low. The absence of public PoC and the requirement for valid credentials reduce mass-exploitation potential. However, insider threat actors and post-breach attackers who have already compromised low-privileged accounts may readily exploit this flaw.

Detection Guidance

Detection of CVE-2023-32760 exploitation is challenging due to the lack of a unique weaponized payload. Detection should focus on anomalous access patterns to Archer Platform API endpoints by low-privileged users, and on abnormal data volume in API responses.

Sigma Rule

title: Suspicious Archer Platform Data Feed API Access by Low-Privileged User
id: c8f9c2b1-6e5d-4a3f-9b7c-2d8e1f0a3b4c
status: experimental
description: Detects access to Archer Platform data feed / data publication API endpoints followed by unusual data retrieval, possibly indicating CVE-2023-32760 exploitation.
logsource:
  category: web
  product: archer_platform
detection:
  selection_api_access:
    cs-method:
      - 'GET'
      - 'POST'
    cs-uri-query|contains:
      - 'datafeed'
      - 'datafeedimport'
      - 'datapublication'
      - 'exportdata'
  selection_roles:
    cs-username|contains:
      - 'svc_archer'
  filter_known_admin_roles:
    cs-username|contains:
      - 'archeradmin'
      - 'feedadmin'
  condition: selection_api_access and not filter_known_admin_roles
level: medium
falsepositives:
  - Legitimate users with data feed privileges accessing the API

YARA Rule

rule ArcherPlatform_DataFeed_InfoDisclosure
{
    meta:
        author = "Valters IT Security"
        description = "Detects response patterns potentially associated with Archer Platform data feed information disclosure (CVE-2023-32760)"
        date = "2025-01-01"
        version = "1.0"
    strings:
        $feed_marker = /(dataFeed|datafeed|feedId|feed_name|sourceConnection|targetConnection)/ nocase
        $publication_marker = /(dataPublication|publicationJob|publishStatus|exportId)/ nocase
        $json_response = /"responseCode"\s*:\s*0/
        $api_path = /\/api\/?(datafeed|datapublication|admin)\/b?/ nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x0A0D or uint16(0) == 0x0D0A or filesize > 1KB
        and 2 of ($feed_marker, $publication_marker, $api_path)
        and $json_response
}

Suricata IDS Rule

alert http any any -> $HOME_NET any (msg:"Archer Platform Potential Data Feed API Info Disclosure (CVE-2023-32760)"; content:"datafeed"; nocase; http_uri; content:"datafeedimport"; nocase; http_uri; content:"datapublication"; nocase; http_uri; pcre:"/(datafeed|datapublication|exportdata)/i"; flow:to_server,established; reference:cve,2023-32760; classtype:attempted-recon; sid:2023327601; rev:1;)

Elastic Detection

sequence by user.name, host.name, source.ip with maxspan=5m
  [ network where
      network.protocol == "http" and
      url.path rlike ".*(datafeed|datapublication|exportdata).*" and
      http.request.method in ("GET", "POST")
  ]
  [ network where
      network.protocol == "http" and
      url.path rlike ".*(datafeed|datapublication|exportdata).*" and
      http.response.bytes > 500000
  ]

Splunk SPL Query

index=web sourcetype=access_combined OR sourcetype=pan:traffic
  uri_path IN ("/api/datafeed*", "/api/datapublication*", "/api/exportdata*")
  [ search index=identity username=* NOT username IN (archeradmin, feedadmin)
  ]
  OR
  (uri_path IN ("/api/datafeed*", "/api/datapublication*", "/api/exportdata*")
   AND bytes_out > 500000)
| stats count, sum(bytes_out) as total_bytes by user, uri_path, src_ip
| where total_bytes > 1000000
| table _time, user, src_ip, uri_path, count, total_bytes

Wazuh OSSEC Rule

<group name="archer,">
  <rule id="100327" level="8">
    <if_sid>31100</if_sid>
    <match>GET /api/datafeed|POST /api/datafeed|GET /api/datapublication|POST /api/datapublication</match>
    <description>Archer Platform data feed/publication API accessed by non-admin user - potential CVE-2023-32760 exploitation</description>
    <mitre>
      <id>T1005</id>
      <id>T1530</id>
    </mitre>
    <group>web_application_attack,</group>
  </rule>
</group>

Mitigation & Patch Guidance

Patch confidence: 0/4 — UNPATCHED.

The vendor has released fixes in versions 6.12.0.6 and 6.13.0, but the NVD description explicitly states the vulnerability is "fixed in v.6.12.0.6 and v.6.13.0." This is the primary remediation path.

1. Immediate Mitigations (until patched):

• Upgrade the Archer Platform to version 6.12.0.6 or 6.13.0 immediately. These are the only confirmed fixed versions.
• If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict network access to the Archer Platform web interface to authorized users only via network segmentation and firewall rules.
• Review and reduce the number of active user accounts with access to the platform. Disable accounts not actively used.
• Enable and review platform audit logs for any suspicious API activity, especially from low-privileged accounts.
• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to log and monitor access to the data feed and data publication API paths (as a temporary measure; detection does not prevent exploitation).

2. Patch / Upgrade Steps:

• Obtain the fixed versions (6.12.0.6 or 6.13.0) from the vendor's official distribution channel or support portal.
• Validate the patch or upgrade in a non-production environment, ensuring all configured data feeds, integrations, and custom workflows continue to function.
• Schedule the upgrade during a maintenance window, following the vendor's documented upgrade procedure and prerequisite checks.

3. Long-Term Hardening:

• Apply a least-privilege model to all Archer Platform user accounts. Regularly audit role assignments and remove excessive permissions.
• Segment the Archer Platform from general-purpose user networks. Restrict access to the management/API interfaces to only required administrative workstations.
• Enable comprehensive audit logging on the Archer Platform and integrate these logs with the enterprise SIEM for continuous monitoring.
• Subscribe to the vendor's security advisory mailing list to receive timely notifications of additional patches or updates.
• Document a response plan for authenticated API abuse, including communication procedures and escalation paths.

Additional Note: The CNA has not formally assigned a CWE ID, and no CISA KEV listing exists for this vulnerability. There are no known threat-actor campaigns or indicators of active exploitation in the wild at the time of writing.

References

1. NVD Entry: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-32760
2. Vendor Knowledge Base / Advisories: https://www.archerirm.com/ (search for CVE-2023-32760 release notes for versions 6.12.0.6 and 6.13.0)
3. MITRE CVE Reference: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-32760
4. FIRST EPSS Data: https://www.first.org/epss/
5. CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog (CVE-2023-32760 is not listed)