CVE-2022-41553 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-532, which involves the insertion of sensitive information into log files or temporary files. This specific vulnerability affects Hitachi Infrastructure Analytics Advisor (versions 2.0.0-00 through 4.4.0-00) and Hitachi Ops Center Analyzer (versions 10.0.0-00 before 10.9.0-00) running on Linux systems. The flaw resides in the Analytics probe component of the Infrastructure Analytics Advisor and the probe component of the Ops Center Analyzer. It allows local users with limited privileges (low-level privileges) to access sensitive information that is improperly stored in temporary files or logs. Because the vulnerability requires local access and does not need user interaction, it can be exploited by any user who has some level of access to the affected system. The CVSS v3.1 score is 6.5, indicating a medium severity level. The vector string (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N) shows that the attack vector is local, with low attack complexity, requiring low privileges, no user interaction, and the scope is changed. The impact on confidentiality is high, but integrity and availability are not affected. No known exploits are reported in the wild as of the published date. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of sensitive data, leading to its exposure in temporary files accessible to unauthorized users on the same system. This can lead to leakage of credentials or other sensitive operational data used by the analytics tools.

For European organizations using Hitachi Infrastructure Analytics Advisor or Hitachi Ops Center Analyzer on Linux, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to confidentiality. Sensitive operational data or credentials stored in temporary files could be accessed by unauthorized local users, potentially leading to further privilege escalation or lateral movement within the network. Given that these products are used for infrastructure analytics and operations monitoring, exposure of sensitive data could undermine the security posture and operational integrity of critical IT environments. The impact is particularly relevant for organizations with multi-tenant environments or where multiple users have local access to the same systems. Confidential data leakage could also lead to compliance violations under GDPR if personal or sensitive data is involved. However, the vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability directly, so it is less likely to cause immediate service disruption. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially in environments where insider threats or compromised accounts exist.

1. Apply patches or updates provided by Hitachi as soon as they become available for the affected products and versions. Since no patch links are provided in the data, organizations should monitor Hitachi’s official security advisories and support portals for updates. 2. Restrict local access to systems running these products to trusted administrators only, minimizing the number of users who can exploit this vulnerability. 3. Implement strict file system permissions and monitoring on temporary directories and log files to prevent unauthorized read access. 4. Use security tools to audit and alert on unusual access patterns to sensitive files or directories used by these analytics tools. 5. Consider isolating the analytics probe components on dedicated systems or containers with minimal user access to reduce exposure. 6. Review and harden operational procedures to ensure sensitive information is not logged unnecessarily and that logs are rotated and securely stored. 7. Conduct regular security training to raise awareness about the risks of local privilege misuse. 8. If possible, use host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) to detect attempts to access sensitive temporary files.