CVE-2024-3700 is a critical security vulnerability identified in the Estomed Sp. z o.o. Simple Care software, which is used for managing patient data. The core issue is the use of a hard-coded password embedded within the software to access the patients' database. This password is identical across all installations of Simple Care, regardless of version, and the software itself is no longer supported by the vendor. Because the password is hard-coded and universal, an attacker with knowledge of this password can gain unauthorized access to sensitive patient information stored in the database without requiring any authentication or user interaction. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-259 (Use of Hard-coded Password) and has a CVSS 4.0 base score of 9.3, indicating a critical severity level. The CVSS vector highlights that the attack vector is local (AV:L), with low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), and no user interaction needed (UI:N). The impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high, as an attacker can retrieve, modify, or delete sensitive patient data. The vulnerability affects all versions of Simple Care software, which is no longer maintained or patched, increasing the risk of exploitation over time. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the presence of a universal hard-coded password makes this vulnerability highly exploitable if discovered by malicious actors. Given the sensitivity of healthcare data and the critical nature of this flaw, the threat poses a significant risk to organizations using this software.

For European organizations, particularly healthcare providers using Estomed Sp. z o.o. Simple Care software, this vulnerability could lead to severe data breaches involving sensitive patient information, including personal health data protected under GDPR. Unauthorized access could result in exposure of confidential medical records, leading to privacy violations, regulatory fines, reputational damage, and potential harm to patients. The integrity of patient data could be compromised, affecting clinical decisions and patient safety. Availability of the database could also be impacted if attackers modify or delete data. Since the software is no longer supported, organizations cannot rely on vendor patches, increasing their exposure. This vulnerability could also facilitate further attacks, such as ransomware or data manipulation, within healthcare environments. The critical nature of the vulnerability and the sensitivity of the data involved make this a high-impact threat for European healthcare entities.

Given the lack of vendor support and patches, organizations must take immediate and specific actions: 1) Identify all instances of Simple Care software in use within their environment through asset inventories and network scans. 2) Isolate affected systems from critical networks to limit exposure. 3) Replace or migrate patient data to a secure, supported healthcare management system that follows modern security practices. 4) If immediate replacement is not feasible, restrict access to the affected systems using network segmentation, strict access controls, and monitoring. 5) Change any default or hard-coded passwords where possible, though this may be limited by the software design. 6) Implement strong logging and alerting to detect unauthorized access attempts. 7) Conduct regular audits of patient data access and integrity. 8) Educate staff about the risks and ensure strict operational security around these systems. 9) Engage with cybersecurity professionals to perform penetration testing and vulnerability assessments focused on these systems. 10) Prepare incident response plans specifically addressing potential data breaches from this vulnerability.