CVE-2022-45936 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in the Siemens Mendix Email Connector, specifically affecting all versions prior to 2.0.0. The core issue is improper access control (CWE-284) within the module, which means that certain module entities do not enforce adequate permission checks. As a result, authenticated remote attackers—those who have some level of legitimate access to the system—can exploit this flaw to read and manipulate sensitive information handled by the Email Connector. The vulnerability does not require user interaction beyond authentication, and it can be exploited remotely over the network (AV:N). The CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 reflects the high impact on confidentiality and integrity, with no impact on availability. Attackers with low privileges (PR:L) can leverage this vulnerability without needing elevated permissions, making it easier to exploit within compromised or insider environments. The Mendix Email Connector is a component used in Siemens Mendix low-code application platform environments to facilitate email integration, meaning that applications relying on this connector for email functionalities are at risk. Since the vulnerability allows unauthorized reading and modification of sensitive data, it could lead to data breaches, unauthorized data manipulation, and potentially further compromise of the affected applications. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the vulnerability has been publicly disclosed since December 2022, and no official patches are listed, indicating that mitigation may require upgrading to version 2.0.0 or later once available or applying vendor-recommended workarounds.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant, especially for those using Siemens Mendix platforms in critical business applications that handle sensitive or regulated data. The ability for an authenticated attacker to read and manipulate sensitive information could lead to breaches of personal data, intellectual property theft, or disruption of business processes. This is particularly concerning for sectors such as finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and public administration, where Mendix applications may be integrated into workflows involving confidential information. Furthermore, unauthorized data manipulation could undermine data integrity, leading to erroneous business decisions or compliance violations under regulations like GDPR. Since the vulnerability requires authentication but no user interaction, insider threats or compromised credentials could be leveraged to exploit this flaw, increasing the risk profile. The lack of known exploits in the wild suggests that proactive mitigation is critical to prevent future attacks. The vulnerability could also be leveraged as a foothold for lateral movement within networks, increasing the overall risk to organizational IT infrastructure.

1. Immediate mitigation should focus on restricting access to the Mendix Email Connector module to only trusted and necessary users, implementing strict role-based access controls (RBAC) to minimize the number of authenticated users who can access the vulnerable entities. 2. Monitor and audit access logs for unusual or unauthorized access patterns to the Email Connector module, enabling early detection of potential exploitation attempts. 3. Apply network segmentation to isolate Mendix application environments from broader enterprise networks, limiting the attack surface. 4. Where possible, disable or limit email connector functionalities that are not essential until a patched version (≥ 2.0.0) is available and deployed. 5. Enforce strong authentication mechanisms, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), to reduce the risk of credential compromise that could lead to exploitation. 6. Stay in close contact with Siemens for official patches or security advisories and plan for timely updates to the Mendix Email Connector component. 7. Conduct security reviews and penetration testing focused on Mendix applications to identify any additional access control weaknesses. 8. Educate developers and administrators on secure configuration and the importance of access control within Mendix modules to prevent similar issues.