CVE-2023-35814 is a vulnerability identified in DevExpress, specifically affecting versions prior to 23.1.3 of the DevExpress reporting tool used in ASP.NET Web Forms applications. The issue stems from improper protection of serialized XtraReport data, which leads to a CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability. Deserialization vulnerabilities occur when untrusted input is deserialized by an application without sufficient validation or sanitization, potentially allowing an attacker to manipulate the deserialization process. In this case, the vulnerability could allow an attacker to craft malicious serialized data that, when processed by the vulnerable DevExpress component, could lead to integrity violations such as tampering with report data or application logic. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 3.5, indicating a low severity level. The vector string (AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N) indicates that the attack can be performed remotely over the network (AV:N), requires high attack complexity (AC:H), low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and affects the scope (S:C) with no confidentiality or availability impact but with low integrity impact (I:L). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches are explicitly linked in the provided data, though the vulnerability is fixed in version 23.1.3 and later. The vulnerability primarily impacts the integrity of the application by allowing potential manipulation of report data or execution flow within the deserialization context but does not directly compromise confidentiality or availability. The vulnerability requires low privileges but no user interaction, and the attack complexity is high, which reduces the likelihood of exploitation. The scope change indicates that the vulnerability affects components beyond the initially vulnerable module, potentially impacting other parts of the application relying on the deserialized data.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2023-35814 is primarily related to the integrity of reporting data within ASP.NET Web Forms applications that utilize DevExpress XtraReport components. Organizations relying on these reporting tools for critical business intelligence, compliance reporting, or financial data visualization could face risks of data tampering or manipulation, potentially leading to inaccurate reports and flawed decision-making. While the vulnerability does not directly affect confidentiality or availability, the integrity compromise could undermine trust in automated reporting systems and may have regulatory implications, especially in sectors with stringent data accuracy requirements such as finance, healthcare, and government. Given the high attack complexity and the requirement for at least low privileges, exploitation is less likely to be widespread but remains a concern in environments where internal threat actors or compromised low-privilege accounts exist. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the need for vigilance. Organizations with extensive use of DevExpress reporting in legacy ASP.NET Web Forms applications should prioritize assessment and remediation to prevent potential integrity breaches that could cascade into broader operational or compliance issues.

1. Upgrade DevExpress components to version 23.1.3 or later, where the vulnerability is addressed. 2. Implement strict input validation and sanitization on any serialized data inputs, especially those originating from untrusted sources or user input. 3. Restrict access to the reporting endpoints and serialized data processing functions to trusted and authenticated users only, minimizing exposure to low-privilege attackers. 4. Employ network segmentation and application-layer firewalls to limit external access to vulnerable ASP.NET Web Forms applications using DevExpress. 5. Monitor application logs for unusual deserialization activity or malformed serialized data submissions that could indicate exploitation attempts. 6. Conduct code reviews and security testing focused on deserialization processes within the application to identify and remediate similar risks. 7. Where feasible, consider migrating from legacy ASP.NET Web Forms to more modern frameworks with improved security controls and reduced reliance on binary serialization. 8. Educate developers and administrators about the risks of deserialization vulnerabilities and best practices for secure serialization handling.