CVE-2024-28061 is a medium-severity vulnerability discovered in Apiris Kafeo version 6.4.4. The vulnerability allows an attacker to bypass existing protections and gain unauthorized access to data stored within the embedded database file used by the application. Although the exact nature of the bypass is not detailed, the vulnerability implies that the security controls intended to restrict access to sensitive data within the embedded database are ineffective under certain conditions. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.3 reflects a scenario where the attack vector is network-based (AV:N), requires low attack complexity (AC:L), and requires privileges (PR:L) but no user interaction (UI:N). The impact affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a limited extent (C:L/I:L/A:L). The vulnerability scope is unchanged (S:U), meaning the exploit affects the same security scope as the vulnerable component. No known exploits are reported in the wild, and no patches or vendor advisories have been linked yet. The lack of detailed vendor or product information limits the ability to fully characterize the vulnerability, but the embedded database access bypass suggests a risk of data leakage or unauthorized data manipulation within affected deployments of Apiris Kafeo 6.4.4.

For European organizations using Apiris Kafeo 6.4.4, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized data exposure or modification within the embedded database. This could lead to leakage of sensitive business or personal data, potentially violating GDPR requirements for data protection and privacy. The integrity impact could allow attackers to alter stored data, undermining trust in the system's outputs or causing operational disruptions. Availability impact, while rated low, could still affect business continuity if critical data becomes inaccessible or corrupted. Given the network attack vector and low complexity, attackers with some level of privileges (e.g., internal users or compromised accounts) could exploit this vulnerability remotely without user interaction, increasing the risk in environments where network access is not tightly controlled. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but organizations should not be complacent given the potential for future exploitation. The impact is more pronounced in sectors handling sensitive or regulated data, such as finance, healthcare, and government services across Europe.

Organizations should first identify if Apiris Kafeo 6.4.4 is deployed within their environment and assess the exposure of the embedded database files. Until an official patch or vendor guidance is available, the following mitigations are recommended: 1) Restrict network access to systems running Apiris Kafeo to trusted internal networks and limit user privileges to the minimum necessary to reduce the risk of privilege misuse. 2) Implement strict access controls and monitoring on the embedded database files, including file system permissions and encryption at rest where possible. 3) Conduct regular audits and integrity checks of the database contents to detect unauthorized access or modifications. 4) Employ network segmentation and intrusion detection systems to identify suspicious activities targeting the application or its database. 5) Prepare incident response plans specific to data breaches involving embedded databases. 6) Monitor vendor communications for patches or updates addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available. 7) Consider compensating controls such as application-layer encryption of sensitive data before storage in the embedded database to reduce exposure.