CVE-2024-22317 is a critical vulnerability identified in IBM App Connect Enterprise versions 11.0.0.1 through 11.0.0.24 and 12.0.1.0 through 12.0.11.0. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-307, which pertains to improper restriction of excessive authentication attempts. This flaw allows a remote attacker to repeatedly attempt authentication without effective throttling or lockout mechanisms in place. As a result, the attacker can either obtain sensitive information or cause a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1, indicating a critical severity level. The vector metrics specify that the attack can be performed remotely (AV:N), requires no privileges (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and impacts confidentiality (C:H) and availability (A:H) but not integrity (I:N). The lack of restrictions on authentication attempts means that brute force or credential stuffing attacks can be executed efficiently, potentially leading to unauthorized access or service disruption. IBM App Connect Enterprise is an integration platform widely used for connecting applications, data, and systems across enterprises, making this vulnerability particularly impactful in environments relying on seamless and secure integration workflows. No known exploits are reported in the wild yet, but the critical nature of the vulnerability and its ease of exploitation make it a high-risk issue that demands immediate attention.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-22317 can be significant. IBM App Connect Enterprise is commonly deployed in large enterprises, financial institutions, healthcare providers, and government agencies across Europe to facilitate critical business processes and data exchanges. Exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, including personal data protected under GDPR, resulting in privacy breaches and regulatory penalties. Additionally, the potential for denial of service could disrupt essential integration services, causing operational downtime and impacting business continuity. Given the criticality of integration platforms in digital transformation and inter-system communications, this vulnerability could affect supply chains, customer service platforms, and internal workflows. The confidentiality impact is high, as attackers might extract sensitive information through repeated authentication attempts, while availability impact is also high due to possible service outages. The absence of required privileges or user interaction lowers the barrier for attackers, increasing the risk profile for European organizations that have deployed vulnerable versions of IBM App Connect Enterprise.

To mitigate CVE-2024-22317, European organizations should immediately assess their deployment of IBM App Connect Enterprise and identify if any affected versions (11.0.0.1 through 11.0.0.24 and 12.0.1.0 through 12.0.11.0) are in use. Since no patch links are currently provided, organizations should monitor IBM's official security advisories for patches or updates addressing this vulnerability. In the interim, organizations should implement compensating controls such as: 1) Enforce network-level restrictions to limit access to the IBM App Connect Enterprise management interfaces to trusted IP addresses or VPNs. 2) Deploy Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) with rules to detect and block excessive authentication attempts or brute force patterns targeting the platform. 3) Enable and monitor detailed authentication logs to detect abnormal login attempts and trigger alerts for potential abuse. 4) Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) if supported by the platform or surrounding infrastructure to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 5) Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focused on authentication mechanisms to identify weaknesses. 6) Prepare incident response plans specifically addressing potential denial of service and data breach scenarios related to this vulnerability. These targeted measures will help reduce the attack surface and mitigate the risk until an official patch is released.