CVE-2022-38660 is a high-severity Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting HCL Domino version 9, specifically targeting HCL XPages applications. CSRF vulnerabilities allow an attacker to trick an authenticated user into submitting unwanted actions on a web application in which they are currently logged in. In this case, the vulnerability permits an unauthenticated attacker to craft malicious requests that, when executed by a logged-in user, perform unauthorized actions within the HCL Domino application context. The vulnerability arises due to insufficient validation of the origin or authenticity of requests, enabling attackers to bypass normal user interaction safeguards. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.3 reflects the vulnerability's network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), but requiring user interaction (UI:R). The impact on confidentiality and integrity is high, as attackers can perform actions on behalf of users, potentially accessing or modifying sensitive data. Availability impact is low. Although no known exploits are reported in the wild, the vulnerability's characteristics make it a significant risk, especially in environments where HCL Domino is used for critical collaboration and messaging services. The lack of available patches at the time of publication underscores the need for immediate mitigation efforts. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-352, indicating a classic CSRF flaw, and is enriched by CISA, highlighting its importance in cybersecurity advisories.

For European organizations using HCL Domino v9, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk to the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information managed within the platform. HCL Domino is often deployed in enterprise environments for email, collaboration, and workflow applications, which may contain personal data protected under GDPR and other regulatory frameworks. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized actions such as data modification, unauthorized access to internal communications, or manipulation of business processes. This could result in data breaches, regulatory non-compliance penalties, reputational damage, and operational disruptions. Given the low attack complexity and no requirement for attacker privileges, threat actors could leverage this vulnerability to escalate attacks within corporate networks. The requirement for user interaction means phishing or social engineering campaigns could be used to trigger the exploit, increasing the attack surface. Additionally, the vulnerability could be leveraged in targeted attacks against sectors with high reliance on HCL Domino, such as government, finance, and manufacturing industries prevalent in Europe.

1. Immediate implementation of strict CSRF protections within HCL Domino XPages applications, such as synchronizer tokens or double-submit cookies, to validate the authenticity of requests. 2. Apply any vendor-released patches or security updates as soon as they become available; monitor HCL Software advisories closely. 3. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious CSRF attack patterns targeting Domino endpoints. 4. Conduct user awareness training focused on recognizing phishing attempts and suspicious links, reducing the likelihood of successful user interaction exploitation. 5. Restrict access to HCL Domino administrative and sensitive interfaces via network segmentation and IP whitelisting to limit exposure. 6. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for user logins to reduce the impact of session hijacking or credential theft. 7. Regularly audit and monitor logs for unusual activity indicative of CSRF exploitation attempts. 8. Review and harden session management configurations to minimize session fixation or reuse risks. These measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on application-level protections, network controls, and user behavior to comprehensively reduce the attack surface.