CVE-2024-38890 identifies a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Caterease Software, a product by Horizon Business Services Inc. This vulnerability exists in versions 16.0.1.1663 through 24.0.1.2405 and potentially later versions. The root cause is insufficient protection against capture-replay attacks, where an attacker with local access can intercept authentication tokens or credentials and replay them to gain unauthorized access. The flaw is categorized under CWE-294, which relates to improper authentication mechanisms. The vulnerability requires no privileges or user interaction, making it easier for attackers with local access to exploit. The CVSS v3.1 score of 8.4 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) indicates a high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with low attack complexity and no required privileges or user interaction. Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the vulnerability poses a significant threat to organizations relying on Caterease for event and hospitality management, potentially allowing attackers to bypass authentication controls and access sensitive data or disrupt services.

The vulnerability allows attackers to bypass authentication controls, leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information and system functions within Caterease Software. This can compromise customer data, business operations, and potentially financial transactions managed through the software. The impact extends to confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as attackers can read, modify, or disrupt data and services. For organizations in the hospitality and event management sectors, this could result in data breaches, operational downtime, reputational damage, and regulatory penalties. Since the attack requires only local access but no privileges or user interaction, insider threats or attackers gaining limited local access could exploit this vulnerability effectively. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently limits immediate widespread impact but does not reduce the urgency for mitigation.

1. Apply patches or updates from Horizon Business Services Inc. as soon as they are released to address this vulnerability. 2. Until patches are available, restrict local access to systems running Caterease Software to trusted personnel only, employing strict access controls and monitoring. 3. Implement network segmentation and host-based firewalls to limit exposure of vulnerable systems. 4. Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious replay attack behaviors or unusual authentication attempts. 5. Employ multi-factor authentication (MFA) where possible to add an additional layer of security beyond the vulnerable authentication mechanism. 6. Conduct regular security audits and penetration tests focusing on authentication mechanisms to detect similar weaknesses. 7. Educate staff about the risks of local access exploitation and enforce least privilege principles to minimize attack surface.