CVE-2024-0414 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in DeShang DSCMS versions up to 3.1.2 and 7.1. The vulnerability stems from improper access controls (CWE-284) in an unspecified function within the public/install.php file of the DSCMS product. This flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to remotely exploit the system without requiring user interaction. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.3, indicating a moderate risk primarily impacting confidentiality with no direct impact on integrity or availability. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), with low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), and no user interaction needed (UI:N). The scope remains unchanged (S:U), meaning the vulnerability affects only the vulnerable component. The improper access control could allow an attacker to access sensitive installation or configuration routines that should be restricted, potentially exposing sensitive information or enabling further exploitation. Although no public exploits are currently known in the wild, the vulnerability details have been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of exploitation. The lack of patches or mitigations provided by the vendor at this time further elevates the urgency for organizations to implement compensating controls. Given the vulnerability resides in a CMS system, which often hosts web content and manages user data, exploitation could lead to unauthorized data disclosure or facilitate subsequent attacks on the affected infrastructure.

For European organizations using DeShang DSCMS, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized access to installation or configuration components, potentially exposing sensitive data or system details. While the direct impact on integrity and availability is low, confidentiality breaches could lead to information leakage, which may include configuration secrets or user data. This could facilitate further targeted attacks such as privilege escalation or lateral movement within the network. Organizations in sectors with strict data protection regulations, such as finance, healthcare, and government, could face compliance risks and reputational damage if sensitive information is exposed. The remote and unauthenticated nature of the exploit increases the attack surface, especially for publicly accessible web servers running vulnerable DSCMS versions. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk, but the public disclosure means attackers could develop exploits rapidly. European organizations relying on DSCMS for web content management should prioritize assessment and mitigation to prevent potential breaches.

1. Immediate assessment of all DeShang DSCMS instances to identify affected versions (3.1.0 through 3.1.2 and 7.0 through 7.1). 2. Restrict access to the public/install.php file at the web server or application firewall level, allowing only trusted IP addresses or internal networks to access it. 3. Implement strict web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting installation or configuration endpoints. 4. Monitor web server logs for unusual access patterns or repeated attempts to access install.php or related resources. 5. If possible, disable or remove the installation script from production environments after initial setup to eliminate the attack vector. 6. Engage with the vendor or community to obtain patches or updates addressing this vulnerability as soon as they become available. 7. Conduct regular vulnerability scans and penetration tests focusing on access control weaknesses in web applications. 8. Educate system administrators and security teams about this vulnerability and the importance of securing installation scripts and sensitive endpoints. 9. Consider network segmentation to isolate web-facing servers running DSCMS from critical internal systems to limit potential lateral movement.