CVE-2022-44030 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Redmine versions prior to 5.0.4. Redmine is a widely used open-source project management and issue tracking web application. The vulnerability arises from insufficient permission checks on file attachments associated with Issues and Wiki pages. Specifically, it allows an attacker to download any file attachment linked to any Issue or Wiki page without proper authorization. Depending on the Redmine instance's configuration, exploitation may require the attacker to be logged in as a registered user, but in some configurations, no authentication may be necessary. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-755, which relates to insufficient permission checks. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.5 (high), with the 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). This means an attacker can remotely and easily access sensitive file attachments, compromising confidentiality without affecting system integrity or availability. The vulnerability does not appear to have known exploits in the wild as of the published date (December 2022). However, given the nature of the flaw, it poses a significant risk to sensitive project data confidentiality if left unpatched. No official patch links were provided, but upgrading to Redmine 5.0.4 or later is implied as the remediation step. The vulnerability affects all Redmine 5.x versions before 5.0.4, which are commonly deployed in various organizations for project and issue management.

For European organizations using Redmine 5.x versions prior to 5.0.4, this vulnerability can lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive project files and documentation. Since Redmine is often used for managing internal projects, software development, and issue tracking, exposure of attachments could reveal confidential business information, intellectual property, or personal data, potentially violating GDPR requirements. The confidentiality breach could damage organizational reputation, lead to competitive disadvantage, or cause regulatory penalties. The vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability, so operational disruption is unlikely. However, the ease of exploitation (no privileges or user interaction required in some configurations) increases the risk of data leakage. Organizations with public-facing Redmine instances or those allowing guest or registered user access without strict permission controls are particularly at risk. The impact is heightened for sectors with sensitive projects such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure within Europe.

1. Immediate upgrade of Redmine installations to version 5.0.4 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed. 2. Review and tighten permission settings for file attachments in Redmine, ensuring that only authorized users can access sensitive files. 3. Restrict access to Redmine instances by IP whitelisting or VPN to limit exposure to trusted users only. 4. Implement web application firewalls (WAF) with rules to detect and block unauthorized file download attempts targeting Redmine endpoints. 5. Conduct audits of existing attachments to identify and remove any sensitive files that should not be publicly accessible. 6. Monitor access logs for unusual or unauthorized download activity related to file attachments. 7. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, consider temporarily disabling file attachment downloads or restricting them to highly trusted user roles. 8. Educate administrators and users about the importance of strict permission management within Redmine. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on configuration hardening, access controls, and monitoring tailored to the nature of this vulnerability.