CVE-2024-1228 is a critical security vulnerability identified in Eurosoft Przychodnia, a healthcare management software developed by EuroSoft Sp. z o. o. The root cause is the use of a hard-coded password embedded within the software to access the patients' database. This password is identical across all installations, creating a systemic weakness. An attacker with local access to the system can exploit this vulnerability without any authentication or user interaction to retrieve sensitive patient data, including personal health information. The vulnerability affects all versions prior to 20240417.001, which contains the patch that removes or replaces the hard-coded password. The CVSS 4.0 vector indicates local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H, I:H, A:H). The vulnerability does not require network access, limiting remote exploitation but making insider threats or compromised local accounts particularly dangerous. The use of a hard-coded password (CWE-259) is a well-known security anti-pattern that leads to credential exposure and unauthorized access. Although no known exploits are reported in the wild yet, the critical severity and ease of exploitation warrant immediate attention. The vulnerability is especially concerning for healthcare providers due to the sensitivity of patient data and strict data protection regulations such as GDPR.

The impact on European organizations, particularly healthcare providers using Eurosoft Przychodnia, is severe. Unauthorized access to patient databases can lead to large-scale data breaches exposing personal health information, which is highly sensitive under GDPR. This can result in significant regulatory fines, reputational damage, and loss of patient trust. The integrity and availability of patient data may also be compromised, potentially disrupting healthcare services and patient care. Since the password is hard-coded and shared across all installations, a single discovered credential can lead to widespread exploitation. Insider threats or attackers who gain local access to systems can easily leverage this vulnerability. The breach of confidentiality and integrity in healthcare data can have life-threatening consequences if medical records are altered or deleted. The vulnerability also increases the risk of secondary attacks, such as ransomware or further lateral movement within healthcare networks.

Immediate mitigation involves upgrading all Eurosoft Przychodnia installations to version 20240417.001 or later, where the hard-coded password issue is resolved. Until the upgrade is applied, organizations should strictly limit local access to systems running the vulnerable software to trusted and authorized personnel only. Implementing strong physical security controls and endpoint protection can reduce the risk of local compromise. Network segmentation should be enforced to isolate healthcare management systems from general user networks to limit lateral movement. Monitoring and logging of local access attempts to the patient database should be enhanced to detect suspicious activity. Additionally, organizations should review and rotate any credentials related to the affected systems and conduct audits to identify any unauthorized access. Training staff on the risks of insider threats and enforcing least privilege principles will further reduce exposure. Finally, organizations should prepare incident response plans specific to healthcare data breaches.