dbcve.org
Business Objects Business Intelligence PlatformApplication · Sap

CVE-2023-25616

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In some scenario, SAP Business Objects Business Intelligence Platform (CMC) - versions 420, 430, Program Object execution can lead to code injection vulnerability which could allow an attacker to gain access to resources that are allowed by extra privileges. Successful attack could highly impact the confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability of the system.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

SAP Business Objects Business Intelligence Platform CMC versions 420 and 430 contain a code injection vulnerability in Program Object execution that allows attackers to inject malicious code and gain access to resources permitted by elevated privileges, achieving privilege escalation.

MitigationApply SAP security patches for CVE-2023-25616 when available; restrict Program Object execution permissions in CMC to minimum necessary users; audit privilege assignments and monitor for suspicious program object activity.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Business Objects Business Intelligence PlatformApplication
Affected:= 420= 430

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify SAP Business Objects installation and version
    Check the installed SAP Business Objects Business Intelligence Platform version in the Central Configuration Manager (CCM) or system information page. Common locations: SAP BusinessObjects\win64\setup\drvinfo.txt, or via the CMC About page.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 420 or exactly 430.
  2. Verify Program Objects feature is enabled
    In the Central Management Console (CMC), navigate to the Program Objects management area under the Applications or Objects section. Check whether Program Objects are listed and the service is running.
    Affected if Program Objects are visible and the underlying service is active in the CMC.
  3. Review Program Object execution permissions
    In the CMC, select a Program Object and view its User and Group rights. Check which users or groups have Execute permission for Program Objects.
    Affected if Any user or group other than restricted administrators has Execute rights on Program Objects.
  4. Audit privilege assignments for elevated users
    In the CMC, go to Users and Groups. Identify accounts with Administrative or Designer rights that also have Program Object execution permissions. Review the Users list for unexpected privileged accounts.
    Affected if Users with elevated BI platform privileges (Administrators, Designers) also have Program Object Execute permissions.

The environment is affected if SAP Business Objects BI Platform versions 420 or 430 are installed AND Program Objects feature is enabled with Execute permissions accessible to non-restricted users.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply SAP security patches for CVE-2023-25616 when available; restrict Program Object execution permissions in CMC to minimum necessary users; audit privilege assignments and monitor for suspicious program object activity.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apply the patch from the corresponding SAP Security Note for CVE-2023-25616, or upgrade to a later supported SAP Business Objects BI Platform version that includes the security fix.

  1. 1. Review the SAP Security Note for CVE-2023-25616 on the SAP Support Portal (launchpad.support.sap.com) to obtain the specific patch or support package that addresses this vulnerability.
  2. 2. Identify the current SAP Business Objects BI Platform version by accessing the Central Management Console (CMC) and checking the 'About' section.
  3. 3. Apply the recommended SAP Security Note patch or upgrade to a supported version that includes the security fix.
  4. 4. After applying the patch, verify the fix by checking the SAP Note documentation and confirming the version includes the security correction.
  5. 5. Test critical Program Object functionality to ensure the patch does not break existing workflows.
  6. 6. Document the remediation activity and update the system inventory with the new version number.
Caveat Review SAP Security Note release notes for any known compatibility issues or configuration changes required after applying the patch.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Business Objects Business Intelligence Platform Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,120
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-25616 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data