CVE-2022-44009 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting StackStorm version 3.7.0, specifically related to improper access control in the Key-Value Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) mechanism. StackStorm is an event-driven automation platform widely used for infrastructure automation and orchestration. The vulnerability arises because the system fails to enforce permission checks within Jinja filters when accessing Key-Value (K/V) pairs. Jinja filters are templating constructs used to process and render data dynamically. Due to this flaw, an attacker can bypass RBAC restrictions and access K/V pairs belonging to other users without proper authorization. This can lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information stored in these K/V pairs, such as credentials, configuration data, or other secrets. The vulnerability does not require any privileges or user interaction to exploit, and it can be triggered remotely over the network. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.5, reflecting a high severity with a vector indicating network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), high confidentiality impact (C:H), no integrity impact (I:N), and no availability impact (A:N). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches are linked in the provided data, which suggests that mitigation may require manual configuration changes or awaiting vendor updates. The underlying weakness is classified under CWE-862 (Improper Authorization), indicating a failure to enforce correct access control policies in the software's RBAC implementation.

For European organizations utilizing StackStorm 3.7.0 in their automation and orchestration workflows, this vulnerability poses a significant risk of sensitive data exposure. Since K/V pairs often store critical configuration details, secrets, or credentials, unauthorized access could lead to further compromise of internal systems if attackers leverage exposed secrets. The confidentiality breach could undermine trust, violate data protection regulations such as GDPR, and cause operational disruptions if sensitive automation parameters are leaked. Given the network-exploitable nature and lack of required privileges, attackers could remotely access sensitive data without authentication, increasing the attack surface. Organizations in sectors with stringent compliance requirements (e.g., finance, healthcare, critical infrastructure) are particularly vulnerable to reputational and regulatory consequences. Although there is no direct integrity or availability impact, the confidentiality breach alone can facilitate subsequent attacks, including lateral movement or privilege escalation within the network.

1. Immediate mitigation should include auditing and restricting access to StackStorm instances, ensuring they are not exposed to untrusted networks. 2. Implement network-level controls such as firewall rules or VPNs to limit access to trusted administrators only. 3. Review and harden RBAC policies within StackStorm, verifying that users have minimal necessary permissions and that sensitive K/V pairs are segregated or encrypted where possible. 4. Disable or restrict the use of Jinja filters for K/V access if feasible until a patch is available. 5. Monitor logs for unusual access patterns to K/V pairs or unexpected use of Jinja filters. 6. Engage with StackStorm community or vendor channels to obtain and apply any available patches or updates addressing this vulnerability. 7. Consider rotating any secrets or credentials stored in K/V pairs that may have been exposed. 8. Conduct a thorough security review of automation workflows to identify and remediate any other potential access control weaknesses. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on configuration hardening, network segmentation, and operational monitoring specific to StackStorm’s architecture and the nature of this vulnerability.