CVE-2023-49076 is a medium-severity vulnerability classified as CWE-352, a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) issue affecting the customer-data-framework component of Pimcore, a platform used for managing customer data. The vulnerability exists because the affected versions of the customer-data-framework (all versions prior to 4.0.5) do not implement anti-CSRF tokens or headers to validate the authenticity of requests. This lack of protection allows an attacker to craft malicious web requests that, when executed by an authenticated user’s browser, can perform unauthorized actions such as creating new customer records without the user’s consent. The vulnerability requires user interaction (the victim must be authenticated and visit a malicious site or click a crafted link), but does not require any privileges or authentication on the attacker’s part. The CVSS 3.1 score is 4.3 (medium), reflecting that the impact is limited to integrity (unauthorized creation of customer data) without affecting confidentiality or availability. The vulnerability has been addressed in Pimcore customer-data-framework version 4.0.5, where proper CSRF protections have been implemented. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the vulnerability poses a risk to organizations using vulnerable versions of this framework.

For European organizations using Pimcore’s customer-data-framework, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized creation of customer records, potentially polluting customer databases with fraudulent or malicious entries. This can degrade data integrity, complicate customer management processes, and potentially facilitate further attacks such as phishing or social engineering if attackers insert deceptive customer data. While the vulnerability does not directly expose sensitive data or disrupt availability, the integrity compromise can undermine trust in customer data and lead to operational inefficiencies. Organizations in sectors with strict data governance and compliance requirements (e.g., finance, healthcare, retail) may face regulatory scrutiny if data integrity is compromised. Additionally, attackers could use this vulnerability as a foothold to escalate attacks or conduct fraud schemes leveraging the manipulated customer data.

European organizations should immediately verify their Pimcore customer-data-framework version and upgrade to version 4.0.5 or later to apply the official patch that introduces CSRF protections. In addition to patching, organizations should implement the following practical measures: 1) Conduct a thorough audit of customer data to identify and remove any suspicious or unauthorized entries created before patching; 2) Implement web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block CSRF attack patterns; 3) Educate users and administrators about the risks of CSRF and encourage cautious behavior regarding unsolicited links or sites while authenticated; 4) Review and enhance session management and authentication mechanisms to limit the impact of CSRF attacks; 5) Monitor logs for unusual customer creation activities that could indicate exploitation attempts; 6) Consider deploying Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and SameSite cookie attributes to reduce CSRF risks further. These steps, combined with patching, will reduce the attack surface and improve resilience against CSRF threats.